Anniversary Blues
by charliexedd
Summary: A difficult anniversary and the unexpected appearence of an ex-wife prove to be a catalyst for change. How will Beckett cope? Will she finally give in to her emotions or be driven further away? Set sometime mid to late S4 but goes its own way before 47 seconds.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This chapter was initially written as a one-shot (hence the title) but has subsequently grown into a much longer and more complicated story. I've edited it slightly to make it fit a little better with that emerging story but it is still fundamentally the same snapshot of a moment in time as the initial idea.**

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Richard Castle knew he should probably return to his laptop but he'd painted himself into a corner with the latest chapter and wasn't sure how he was going to get Nikki and Rook out of it yet. He may have to give it up and abandon the whole sub-plot he'd gotten them trapped in - he hated doing that but if it wasn't working then sometimes it was better to just let a thread go, no matter how promising it had initially seemed. Having become frustrated at the dilemma he'd created he'd decided to take a short break to clear his mind. That break had led him to where he was now, sprawled out in front of his TV half-watching a TV show rather than staring intently at his laptop struggling to make his idea work.

But instead of being distracted his mind stubbornly refused to concentrate on the TV and kept returning to events earlier in the day. They hadn't had a case at the precinct for a couple of days, which he supposed should be considered good news for any potential victims, but what it really meant was all there was to do there was endless rounds of form-filling and other equally dreary paperwork. He'd gone in anyway, ostensibly to lend moral support as his friends trawled through their paper mountains but really it just gave him an excuse to be with Kate.

He realised his mistake in turning up at the precinct almost from the moment he'd first sat down in his customary chair. As always he'd brought coffee for the two of them but Kate didn't even glance up when he sat and made no move to reach for her drink. He'd been surprised at her lack of greeting but assumed she was simply immersed in her task so he'd pulled his phone out to wait for her to look up and acknowledge him. He'd lasted half an hour with absolutely no indication from Kate that she even knew he was there before he'd finally cracked and tried to ask to her what she was doing. That had been a _bad_ idea. She said she was 'busy' but had given him such a look...and when he'd tried to lighten her apparent mood with an admittedly poor joke she'd bitten his head off and all but told him to go home and leave her alone.

Now Rick wasn't one to give up easily, especially when a certain detective was involved, but he knew her well enough by now to know when to back off and give her some space. And so when Paula had called shortly after he thanked the God of agents (or perhaps that was a devil?) and used her as an excuse to leave the precinct, although not before telling Kate to call him if a body dropped. She barely acknowledged his request with the slightest of nods and so he left, throwing a sympathetic look to the guys on his way out, but feeling more than a little put out over the cold shoulder treatment Kate had given him - with no justification that he could think of.

That had been several hours ago and he'd not heard anything from her since, not even after he'd sent her a text just asking if anything interesting had happened since he'd left. He knew it hadn't, Ryan and Espo had let him know that nothing had gone down during the afternoon and that Kate's mood had not noticeably improved since he left, in fact if anything they said it had gotten worse. But she hadn't replied to his text and so he'd taken his frustration out on their alter egos, creating the sub-plot on the fly with which he'd subsequently written himself to a standstill.

Rick blinked, lost in these thoughts he'd not been paying any attention whatsoever to the crime drama playing out in front of him on the TV and now the theme tune of the show was playing over the end credits. He sighed and reached over to the remote to turn the TV off, he was pretty sure he'd figured out early on who was responsible for this week's murder anyway but he couldn't be bothered to rewind it now to confirm he'd been right. He'd watch the second half again another day, hopefully when he was in a better frame of mind to concentrate.

Rick glanced at his watch, it was late and he had no answers for either his story or for Kate's cold shoulder treatment so he might as well give it up for the night and go to bed. Hopefully he'd be able to clear his mind enough to get some sleep and when he woke up tomorrow things would be different; Kate would be back to her normal self and he'd have an answer to his story conundrum. He rose and wandered towards his kitchen, intending to grab a glass of water, but only got a step or two away from the couch when his cell, which was still laying on the table where he'd left it after texting Kate earlier in the day, suddenly vibrated and played out the familiar tone indicating a new message had arrived.

Rick turned back and grabbed his phone from the table and unlocked the screen. Given the way the day had gone so far he dreaded what he might see. The message was from Kate, very short and to the point:

**'Are you still up?'**

Well that gave him no clues as to whether she was still pissed at him or not - but at least she seemed to be talking to him again which was a step in the right direction. Rick quickly typed out a response.

**'Yeah, why?'**

He sat back on the couch and waited with baited breath for her answer. He knew it couldn't be a body, she _always_ called when that happened, so it must be something else. The problem was he had no idea whether the something else was good or bad! Fortunately he only had to wait a few seconds before his cell vibrated again.

**'Answer your door.'**

Was all her message said. Rick stared at his phone, his eyebrows drawn down in confusion at her message. 'Answer his door,' ...what? He was just looking towards his door in puzzlement when there was a gentle knock on it. He blinked and looked down at his phone again. 'How did she know,' Rick thought, '...unless she was the one...?' He quickly rose and strode over to the source of the sound, reaching his front door in a few strides and yanking it open.

"Kate," he said, really pleased to see his guess had been correct.

"Castle," she replied, and Rick was truly relieved to hear that her tone was not the irritated, brusque one from earlier in the day but something approaching her normal self. Rick smiled as he took in her presence, marvelling as he so often did at just how beautiful she was and at how lucky he'd been to cross paths with her four years ago.

"Errr...can I come in?" Kate asked after a few seconds and Rick started in surprised and cursed himself.

"Sorry, sorry, of course," he said, standing aside to let her enter. "I was just...not expecting...er... come in, come in," Rick mumbled, standing to one side and beckoning her into his loft.

"If it's a bad time Castle just say so and I'll go..." Kate said, already starting to turn away as if to carry out her threat without waiting for him to answer.

"No...No it's fine. Honestly," Rick said, reaching out to grab her elbow to stop her walking away. Kate turned back towards him and looked in his eyes for a moment. Seeming to see that he was telling the truth she relaxed slightly and then looked down at his arm on her elbow. Rick followed her gaze and then jerked his hand away before she could do something painful.

"Please, Kate, come in," Rick said again.

Kate nodded and walked past him and into his home. Rick took the opportunity of her having her back towards him to slap himself on the head for being such an idiot; for being so thrown by her sudden appearance that he'd almost scared her away before she'd arrived. He mentally shook himself then closed the door and followed her into his loft.

When she turned round Rick tried to put on one of his more charming smiles and said, "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your late night visit detective?" Rick watched as Kate just looked at him for a long moment and then completely ignored his question, instead replying with one of her own.

"Do you have any wine? I could do with a drink."

Rick was a little thrown by her unexpected question but he recovered quickly. Wine, well if that's what she wanted then wine was something he could definitely do.

"Sure, Red or white?"

"Red," Kate said.

"Take a seat," Rick called over his shoulder as he wandered into the kitchen to fetch a couple of glasses and to retrieve a bottle of red from the wine stand.

He returned to the living area to see Kate had removed her jacket and was sat on his couch, in the spot he'd so recently vacated. He also noted that she was casually dressed so clearly she hadn't come here straight from the precinct and he wondered why, having given him the cold shoulder for most of the day, she had turned up so unexpectedly now.

Rick poured the wine into the glasses and offered one to Kate before taking a seat opposite her. Kate took the wine from him and quickly took a long drag on the glass, half emptying it. Rick raised an eyebrow in surprise; Kate wasn't really a big drinker, he supposed having a reformed alcoholic for a father would have that affect on you, so she really must be on edge to chug half a glass of fairly strong wine straight down like that. He took a more casual sip of his own glass before repeating his question.

"So Kate, why are you here? Not that I mind of course, you're welcome at any time," he said, smiling at her.

Kate didn't look at him but kept her gaze on the glass of wine she held in her hands. For a moment Rick thought she was going to avoid his question again but she eventually looked up at him.

"I wanted to say sorry," Kate said.

"Sorry?" Rick replied. Kate saying sorry was an unusual event, especially to him. "What for?"

"For snapping at you today, for...for driving you away."

Well, it was true, she had snapped at him today and her whole attitude had screamed loud and clear that she didn't want him around so she had kind of driven him away. But Rick was certainly not going to hold that over her so he simply waved his hand in dismissal.

"You have nothing to apologise for Beckett, nothing at all. Everyone is allowed to have a bad day, once in a while. Hell, there are even some days when I'm not all that fun to be around - hard to believe though that is!"

"Perhaps," Kate said with the merest hint of a smile. "But that doesn't give me the right to take my temper out on you"

"Forget it Kate," Rick said. "Frankly, I'm surprised there aren't more days when you don't tell me to take a hike. I mean, recently of course. I know that for a while when I first started shadowing you you _really_ didn't want me around pretty much every day!"

"True," Kate said quietly and Rick tried to not be too offended at her candid admission. He'd always known she really hadn't wanted him around when he'd first started following her but it still hurt a bit to hear her confirm it like that. "But that was a long time ago...I've gotten used to you being around now and, every now and again, you even prove to be useful."

"Why detective, was that almost a compliment?" Rick asked, his heart soaring from hurt to joy at her words. Kate rarely admitted she liked having him around and whilst he kind of knew she did these days, it still made him feel lighter than air to hear her admit it.

"Don't let it go to your head Castle," Kate said, a hint of humour in her voice for the first time that day. "And I'll deny it if you tell anyone I said so..."

"Wouldn't dream of it detective," Rick said, holding up his hands but not trying to hide his broad smile.

A ghost of a smile crossed Kate's lips once more but it went as quickly as it came as she returned to her serious tone. "I truly am sorry, Castle. It was out of order for me to take things out on you like that, without giving you any explanation."

"Don't worry about it. That's what partners are for; that's what friends are for," Rick said. He'd like to hear what it was that was bothering her but he knew better than to push her. Kate kept her cards close to her chest when it came to her emotions but he knew she would only share what was bothering her with him when she was ready to.

Kate looked at her glass and took another drink, this one a little more measured than her first.

"Do you know what day it is?" She asked him quietly after a moment or two.

Rick racked his brain, trying to think what she could possibly mean by that question. He knew it wasn't her birthday (yep, he checked and double checked his memory - that definitely wasn't for several months), and he was _pretty_ sure that he hadn't missed some kind of general celebration. She must mean something personal, something specific and meaningful to her, but for once he had no idea what it could be.

"I'm sorry Kate, but no."

"It would have been my parent's 30th wedding anniversary today, if Mom had lived," Kate said in a quiet tone.

Rick could see that she was struggling to hold her emotions in check as she said those words and he moved without thinking. He got up from his chair and sat beside her on the couch, placing one arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. And for once Kate didn't resist. She rested her head on his shoulder and her free arm on his leg. Under different circumstances Rick would be ecstatic at the level of contact between them but right now all he could think about was the obvious distress his partner was in.

"I'm sorry Kate, I had no idea." Rick said, berating himself for not knowing the day her parents had wed. He had committed her mother's birthday and the date of her death to memory just because he knew that those days would probably be difficult for her. But he'd never even thought to check when her parents had got married.

Kate squeezed his leg with the hand that rested there and said into his shoulder, "I'm almost glad that you didn't - it's nice to know that you don't know everything about me."

"Have you spoken to your Dad?" Rick asked gently after a moment or two's silence. If Kate was feeling low over this anniversary then he imagined Jim must be feeling 10 times worse.

"Yeah," Kate said after a moment. "I spoke to him yesterday but...he didn't want to talk about it."

Understandable, Rick thought. His own mother never said anything about his father even though he suspected she knew a great deal more about who he was then she'd ever revealed to him. Some things are easier to keep to yourself than to admit to those you love. It was one of the reasons he'd always tried to be open and honest with Alexis but even with his daughter there were things he simply didn't tell her about, not unless she asked first and sometimes not even then. He gently rubbed his hand up and down Kate's shoulder, trying to convey some small measure of comfort to the women in his arms.

They sat that way for several minutes, not saying anything. But eventually Kate pulled away and sat up straight. Rick didn't try to stop her, although he felt a strong sense of loss as her touch left his.

"I'm sorry Rick," Kate said, scrubbing one hand under her eyes. "You must think I'm a little mad, biting your head off today then turning up here out of the blue and crying on your shoulder."

Rick? She hardly ever called him by his first name - interesting. But he didn't think she was mad at all, quite the opposite. He was actually very touched she'd come to see him, that she'd chosen to seek him out when she was feeling down rather than bottle it all up inside like she had so often done in the past. It gave him hope, it told him that maybe, just maybe, she was finally starting to believe that he was there for her. He fought a strong urge to reach over and hold her again, this time to gently caress her cheek and to tell her that he would do anything for her because he loved her. But he knew that it wasn't the right time for that. The simple fact that she was here tonight was enough - for now.

So instead he smiled at her said, "Mad? No I don't think you're mad - at least no more than I did before today..." his tone was teasing and he was glad to see a twitch of her lips at his words. "Trust me, compared to living with an ageing diva and a teenage daughter...well by comparison this is all very simple and normal!"

Kate did finally give him a proper smile at that. "Thanks - I think!"

Rick was really glad to see that genuine smile on his partner's face and the subtle relaxation of her shoulders - the tenseness of the day seemingly melting away. "Do you want another drink?" He asked, after a few moments, using the offer as an excuse to keep her there with him for a while longer.

Kate looked down at the virtually empty wine glass in front of her and he could see she started in surprise at how much of the wine she'd drunk. "Er, yes, but something other than wine."

"Tequila?" Rick asked as he stood up, grabbing both their glasses and the wine bottle.

As expected she got his teasing reference immediately. "Not tonight Castle," she replied with a shake of her head. "How about something a little less potent - non alcoholic!"

Not tonight? Interesting. Did that mean that on another night then maybe...no, stop that right there! That was getting _way_ too far ahead of himself! "Hot or cold?" He asked as he walked into the kitchen and deposited the wine glasses in the sink. He'd wash them up later.

"Hot," Kate replied.

He looked around and quickly decided against coffee, it was a little late in the day for that. He smiled and opened a cupboard where he knew Alexis kept...ah there it is, hot chocolate. His daughter always went for this when she was feeling low, well either this or ice cream and this was definitely the more appropriate of the two in this case.

Rick returned to his couch a couple of minutes later with a mug of hot chocolate in one hand and a glass of fizzy drink in the other. He really wasn't all that big on hot drinks other than coffee. Kate eyed him suspiciously as she took the mug from him as he sat down next to her but her face brightened when she saw, and smelt, what he'd brought her.

"Mmmm, thanks," she said after taking an appreciative sip of her drink.

Rick stared at her as she continued to sip her drink, her eyes closed and her face alight with pleasure. He'd always loved the look she had on her face when he brought her her first coffee of the day but this one was even better! He made a mental note to occasionally bring her hot chocolate instead of coffee, when the moment was right.

"Stop staring Castle," Kate said, her eyes still closed.

"What...how...," Rick spluttered in surprise.

Kate opened her eyes and laughed at him.

"Because you always stare Castle," Kate said, her voice still light with amusement.

"Well, it's hard not to," Rick said huffily.

"Ah poor Ricky," Kate said. "There's no need to sulk."

"Sulk!" he exclaimed, playing along with her teasing. "I am not sulking! Believe me detective, you would definitely know if I was sulking and this is not it."

"What, do you storm off and sit in one corner, refusing to talk to anyone? That would be so...so childish," she teased.

"Nooo," Rick replied, trying to ignore the fact she wasn't too far wrong. He didn't really storm off and sulk in a corner like a child but he might just lock himself in his office and hide away for a while. Definitely not the same thing, no not at all.

"Hmmm, if you say so," Kate said, clearly not believing him but letting the matter drop. She looked around for a moment before adding, "So, what were you doing before I gate crashed your evening?"

Rick stopped himself from saying that he had been about to go to bed. He was really enjoying having Kate there and knew if he said that she'd be out of his door like a shot.

"I was just watching TV," he said, indicating the box in the corner.

"I thought you went home to write, something about a deadline you had to meet?"

Ah, the white lie he'd told as an excuse to give her the space she'd so obviously wanted earlier in the day.

"Er, yeah...I did do some but I kind of...well I kind of wrote myself into a corner and was struggling to find a way out of it so I thought that taking a break, having a distraction might help me figure one out."

"And did it?" Kate asked.

"No, not really," Rick admitted. "I still need to come up with a plausible way to get them out of the situation I put them in..."

"Oh, so you need to do some more writing then," Kate asked, sounding disappointed but leaning to put her mug down on the table.

"No!" Rick said, a little too quickly and loudly as he realised she meant to leave him so he could work on his story. "No," he said again, a little more calmly and quietly this time. "I mean...the scene can wait until tomorrow."

"But your deadline..." Kate pressed in response.

Damn white lie, coming back to haunt me Rick thought. "I still have time and, well, I still don't know whether I'll even keep it in the book..."

"What, you might just throw it away?"

"Maybe, yeah, Rick admitted." Sometimes if things aren't working you just discard them and start again, or try a completely new track."

"And does that happen often? I've never really thought about it but I guess you must write lots of things no-one else ever sees."

Rick was a little puzzled at the direction their conversation was taking but he wasn't complaining. Firstly, and most importantly, Kate had settled back down and seemed to have forgotten any idea of leaving right now and he was more than happy with that. Secondly, other than his fellow authors he rarely had someone take an interest in his wiring process. Most of the people he met were only interested in the end product and what he was going to do next, rather than the often painstaking process of turning an idea or series of ideas into a coherent story that would, hopefully, capture their imagination.

"Yeah. I've got hundreds of files on my laptop which range from background profiles to failed chapters or even whole story ideas which I've never managed to develop into fully fledged books."

"Wow. I guess there would be loads in there that die-hard Castle fans would kill to get their hands on?"

"I guess. You're more than welcome to read any of it," Rick said, surprising himself at his instinctive offer. Only Alexis had read any of that stuff and much of it had never been seen by anyone other than him. But he found that he was actually quite relaxed about the prospect of letting Kate read that stuff; quite happy and even a little excited about giving her a greater insight into his writing process. It would be almost...intimate.

"What!" Kate exclaimed in surprise. "No, I can't do that!"

"Sure you can," Rick said. "I don't mind, honestly."

"But, you said it yourself, a lot of what you write was never meant to be seen by others..."

"True. And I wouldn't want any of this stuff to get into the hands of those 'die-hard' fans you mentioned because it is private and part of the mystique of the characters. But I don't mind sharing it with you. I know I can trust you with them."

"Castle...Rick...that's, I really don't know what to say to that."

Rick shrugged awkwardly. "It's no big deal Kate," he said, knowing that for the lie it was. It _was_ a big deal. His writing was so fundamentally part of who he was that a lot of his work was written simply for his own pleasure. But he knew Kate would love to know more about some of his works, that she was a not so secret fan of his books, and he found the prospect of her knowing more than anyone else surprisingly appealing. He actually wanted her to know, he wanted to share this part of his life with her as totally and completely as he could.

Kate was quiet for a moment then she suddenly leaned over and kissed Rick on the cheek. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Rick froze, completely taken aback by her sudden action. "Ummm...you're welcome," he managed after a few seconds of stunned silence.

Kate lingered for a second or two more before she moved back to her original position on the couch and lifted her mug of hot chocolate back up to her lips, lips which Rick found he could not take his eyes off. Kate Beckett had just kissed him, completely out of the blue and of her own free will! He fought the urge to raise his hand to the cheek she'd just kissed as his scattered thoughts tried to comprehend the events of the evening. Not long ago he'd been heading to bed feeling rather low and a little depressed at being pushed away yet again by Kate and now here she was, sitting by his side and drinking hot chocolate (in a very sexy way he might add) and not only has she apologised for pushing him away (twice!) but she'd actually kissed him. Ok, it was only a peck on the cheek but from Kate Beckett that was everything.

"You're staring again Castle," Kate said after a while, bringing him out of his reverie.

"What, oh yes, sorry," he managed, finally taking his eyes off her gorgeous lips. He took a long swig off his own drink, attempting to return to some kind of normality. Of course, he'd forgotten that it was a soda and only succeeded in getting as lot of fizzy bubbles to go down his throat and up his nose, causing him to cough and splutter much of the drink straight back out and on to his shirt.

"Jeez Castle, what are you, 5?" Kate said, laughing at him.

Rick started to protest then simply decided to give up whatever remained of his dignity and laughed along with her at his own incompetence. "Urgh, seems like it," he said, wiping his wet chin and looking down in disgust at his own sopping wet shirt front. He tossed her the TV remote. "Here, find something you'd like to watch, I'll just go change my shirt."

It took Rick a couple of minutes to replace his soaked t-shirt with a clean dry one and to clear the remaining soda off his face and chest. When he returned from his room Kate had removed her shoes and was sitting with her legs beneath her. She looked up as he approached and he couldn't help the broad grin that spread across his face.

"What?" she asked as he re-took his seat next to her.

"Nothing," he replied, not wanting to explain. She looked so comfortable sitting there, so relaxed that he couldn't help but think how much he would love to see her sitting there like that every day. It was truly a very simple, domestic, type of image, quite unlike his usual fantasies regarding her. But in many ways it was a much more beautiful image, a promise almost of something more meaningful and lasting between them than any simple sex fantasy - although admittedly they were great too!

Looking at the TV Rick saw that she'd found a channel showing what he very quickly identified as Avatar - it was either that or the colour mix on his TV was seriously on the fritz!

"Avatar?" he said questioningly.

"Yeah, why not?" Kate replied, a little defensively.

"Oh, no reason. Just didn't really peg you as much of an Avatar type of girl."

Kate shrugged, "I like this film. You can find something else if you like," she said, offering his remote back to him.

"No, no, Avatar is fine," he said, taking the remote and setting it down on the table.

Rick relaxed back into his couch, his mind only half in the film (he'd seen it several times before anyway) whilst the other half enjoyed the fact Kate was there beside him. Kate Beckett had kissed him; he still couldn't quite believe it. He risked a glance out of the corner of his eyes to reassure himself that she really was sat there beside him. Wow, this was really happening, she really was here and she seemed to be happy and relaxed about it. Such a contrast to her mood earlier in the day!

The film was well over halfway through so Kate had obviously come across it well after it had started but she'd said she liked it so clearly knew it well enough for that not to matter. They sat in a comfortable and companionable silence for half an hour or so as James Cameron's fantasy drama played out in front of them before Kate shifted her position so that her legs were on her other side and her head was now resting next to his on the back of the couch. Rick looked across at her but she seemed engrossed on the film and oblivious to their relative positions so he said nothing and tried to ignore the fact that the lips which had so gently (did he dare hope lovingly?) kissed his cheek not that long ago were now once more only inches away from his own.

He did a reasonable job of concentrating on the film rather than the beautiful woman beside him for another 20 minutes or so and was therefore taken a little bit by surprise when he felt a sudden weight rest against his shoulder. He looked down at the mass of auburn locks and could just about see that Kate's eyes had drifted shut. Man, she must have been even more relaxed than he thought to have fallen asleep on his shoulder. Rick didn't dare move, she looked so comfortable and it felt really good to feel her there. He fought the urge to reach out and stroke her hair, or caress her cheek. He hadn't earned that right yet, although he sincerely hoped he would someday soon, and besides, he didn't want to risk waking her. So he contented himself with looking down at her slight frame as she rested against him, her breath coming in a gentle and regular rhythm.

Rick knew that he had not felt this happy in a long time, not since the last time a woman had fallen asleep on his shoulder and that had been his daughter. It was something she'd done a lot as a child but less and less as she'd gotten older and he missed that simple expression of trust and love between them. And now Kate Beckett was sleeping contentedly on his shoulder and he couldn't help but equate the feelings. He didn't know what she felt for him; he hoped it was something more than simple friendship, had to believe that it was, but he didn't know. He really, really hoped to find out soon because right now he was more in love with this extraordinary woman then he'd ever been and he wanted nothing more than to have a hundred nights like this, a thousand! Any night which ended with her at his side had to be a good night and he would very happily live the rest of his life knowing whatever happened she would be there beside him at the end of the day.

Rick closed his own eyes and leaned his cheek down to rest on Kate's head, his whole body in a state of such relaxed contentment that it took only a minute for him to also drift off to sleep, already dreaming of waking up next to Kate and finding that image to be more beautiful than any fictional scene he had ever imagined or set down in words.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ok, this was only ever intended to be a one-shot but after a couple of nice requests I've added a follow up chapter. I'm still not entirely sure how far I'll take this, I guess that will depend on you guys so let me know if you feel it is worth continuing...**

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Rick woke with a start as his body unconsciously recognised the change of weight on his shoulder and chest. He wearily opened his eyes and found himself squinting at his TV, which was showing some program he didn't recognise. Right, okay, so he must have fallen asleep on his couch. He sighed and looked blearily around for the remote to shut his TV off and blinked in surprise as his eyes took in the slim and beautiful form of his partner, highlighted by the flickering light of the TV.

"Uh...hi," Rick managed, still not entirely sure if he was awake or whether he was dreaming. Some images were returning to him of Kate arriving unexpectedly last night, of some talk, a wet shirt (his, sadly) and finally Avatar...or at least parts of Avatar. And then there was one of Kate falling asleep on his shoulder but he wasn't sure whether that one was real or whether his brain had added it in of its own accord.

"Hi," Kate said softly. "Sorry, I tried not to wake you when I got up."

Wake me? Wow, perhaps that final image wasn't just part of his over-active imagination. After all, Kate _really_ was standing there in front of him and he _had_ just awoken in front of his still flickering TV. Rick smiled broadly, now happy that these seemed to be real memories ratherthan just pleasent dreams. He looked up as Kate shifted nervously from one foot to another. 'Ok, play it cool,' Rick thought. Kate had obviously not intended to fall asleep with you - oh that sounded a little naughty, and very good. No! Stop thinking like that! Got to be cool and calm otherwise she will only run from him again and he really didn't want this evening to end that way.

"What time is it?" Rick asked, standing up and sticking to a very safe topic.

Kate glanced down at her father's watch and grimaced slightly. "Almost half past two," she replied.

Half two! That meant that they must have been asleep for what, almost 2 hours! Rick shook his head, a little bemused by the fact that he'd remained effectively cuddled up with Kate on his couch for that long. And if he was honest a little disappointed that he didn't remember more of it!

"It's late and I should be going," Kate said, nodding towards his front door. "I've gate-crashed more than enough of your evening already."

"What, no! I'd much rather you stay here with me," Rick said quickly as Kate's words echoed his own fears of her wanting to run from him. He saw Kate's eyes widen in a mix of surprise and perhaps a touch of panic. Rick quickly rewound what he'd just said and inwardly cursed his runaway mouth for not consulting his brain before speaking out. He took a deep, steadying breath and tried again.

"What I mean is...my spare room is upstairs and already made - " Rick didn't add that he kept it made up just on the slight off-chance that she might stay there again, one day. " - and is an awful lot closer than your apartment. You're more than welcome to stay."

"Oh, right, yes, your spare room," Kate said, sounding a little flustered. Had she really thought he was asking her to literally stay with him? Well, he certainly wouldn't object to _that_ but it had not been his intention...well, not consciously anyway.

"No, I've imposed on you enough for tonight..." Kate began but Rick cut her off.

"It's no imposition Kate, really. The room will be there whether or not you stay and I'd much rather you did the latter."

"But I should get back home. We've got work tomorrow and I'll need to change clothes," Kate protested. Rick thought it sounded like her resolve was weakening slightly. It would after all, Rick reasoned, probably take at least an hour or so for her to get home and get ready to fall into her own bed and despite her seemingly endless amount of energy even Kate needed a decent amount of sleep, on occasion.

"Don't worry about that," Rick said, waving away her protest. "We can swing by your place in the morning on the way to the precinct. I'll even get up extra early just so there will be plenty of time."

Kate stood there, a look of indecision on her face. Rick jumped in again, his mouth once more talking without first consulting his brain.

"Besides," he heard himself saying. "I'd be happier if you didn't have to cross the city by yourself this late at night."

Rick groaned inwardly as the words left his mouth and at the immediate stiffening of Kate's back that they caused. The very worst thing he could do in his attempt to convince her to stay was to imply that Kate couldn't look after herself. Sure enough her response was fairly icy.

"I've been in the worst parts of this city after dark more times than I can remember Castle. I think I can handle the short journey from here to my apartment without too much difficulty," Kate said, reaching down to grab her shoes and obviously intending to prove her point by leaving then and there.

"Of course you can Kate," Rick said quickly, snatching her shoes away before she managed to grab them. Kate glared at him whilst Rick tried desperately to look for a way out of the hole he'd just dug for himself. "I know that better than anyone. Kate, you know that there is no-one I'd rather be with out there than you!" Rick paused briefly and was pleased to see Kate's shoulders relax slightly, although she was still far from giving in. Rick went for broke.

"I have no doubt that you can take care of yourself better than anyone I know. But normally, when you're in those seedier parts of the city, you have the somewhat dubious protection of your shield and the more solid and reliable protection of your gun, neither of which you have with you tonight..."

Rick didn't miss the unconscious movement of Kate's hand to her hip where her gun would normally be holstered. No doubt it was sitting at home, safely locked away in her safe along with her badge.

"...please Kate, I know you're more dangerous than pretty much anyone else out there, with or without you gun and shield, but why risk it when there is a perfectly good bed upstairs just waiting for you. You can call me a little girl if you like but I would sleep a lot better if I knew you were safe here rather than making your way home. Pleaseeee..." Rick said, putting on his best 'pleading child' look. "Please, Kate, please, please, please..."

"God OK Castle," Kate said, throwing her hands up in defeat.

"You'll stay? Really?" Rick asked eagerly.

"Yes, if it will shut you up then I'll stay."

Rick grinned broadly at her, dropped her shoes back on the floor and then stepped forward to engulf her slim frame in a patented Castle bear hug (normally reserved only for his daughter), lifting her slight frame from the ground and whirling her around 360 degrees before setting her back down.

"Jeez Castle," Kate said, catching her balance from his unexpected twirl. "You really are a 9 year old child..."

"Would you have me any other way detective?" Rick asked, still grinning broadly.

"...a 9 year old _girl_ child," Kate finished dryly.

Rick put on a mock pout but he couldn't maintain it for long as he was far too happy. After all, Kate wasn't running away from him this time and she was going to be staying here with him tonight! Okay, so it was only upstairs in his spare room but in Rick's eyes that was a huge step forward.

Rick stared at Kate and she looked back uncomfortably for a few seconds before she finally coughed awkwardly and glanced up the stairs.

"Well, we should get to bed then," Kate said.

Rick opened his mouth to pick her up on her choice of words but for once his brain jumped in and stopped it before he said something he might regret. He'd already pushed his luck far too much tonight.

"Uh...yeah. You'll find that the bed is made and there should be some toiletries in the bathroom. Not your usual stuff of course but it should do."

"Thank you Castle," Kate said. "I'll...I guess I'll see you in the morning then."

"Uh...yeah," Rick said awkwardly, wondering if she would kill him if he gave her a good night peck on the cheek. Just to return the favour from her earlier kiss on his own cheek of course, nothing more.

"Night then," Kate said walking away from him. Well that answered that question. He turned to watch her go, comforting himself with the fact that she was at least still here. Small steps, Rick reminded himself, small steps.

Kate turned halfway up the stairs and looked at him over her shoulder. "Oh and Castle..." she said, her voice low and kind of sultry.

"Yeah?" Rick said, struggling not to let his imagination run wild with him. Her low and frankly sexy tone sent wild thoughts of her inviting him to follow her running across the back of his eyeballs.

"...I want to be at the precinct by seven thirty tomorrow so I expect you to be up and ready by no later than half six otherwise I'll leave without you." Kate paused and grinned at him. "Sleep well Castle," she said breezily as she resumed her walk up the stairs.

"Evil woman," Rick called out glumly after her, only to be treated to the sounds of her rich, warm laugh as she disappeared onto his first floor.

-xxx-

Kate closed the door to Castle's spare room behind her and leaned back against it, her heart beating far too fast for the short walk up the stairs. She closed her eyes and let her mind drift back to when she'd woken to find herself cuddled up against Castle, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder and her right arm lying far too familiarly across his lap. She'd laid their for a minute or two just in shock at the position she'd found herself in, completely surprised that she'd somehow ended up falling asleep against her partner.

It was all so...unexpected. She'd come over to his place simply to apologise for taking her bad mood over her parent's anniversary out on him. But the events of the evening since then were nothing she would ever have predicted. How the conversation had gone from the reasons for her mood to his writing she couldn't even begin to fathom but his simple offer to let her read some of his private notes and background work on his books...well that had caught her completely off guard and she'd been unbelievably touched. The fact he was quite happy and relaxed about trusting her with his notes, things which had been written that were never meant for any other eyes than his - well to say it was an honour and meant so much to her would not do the feelings those words had prompted justice.

Kate lifted a hand and brushed it briefly across her lips. Her reaction had been to kiss him! Just a peck on the cheek but she'd done it without thought and had been almost as surprised at what she'd done as Castle had been. But despite the evident surprise for both of them it had felt a very natural thing to do and for once she had not panicked or felt any real desire to run away from it, or from him; quite the opposite in fact. So she'd stayed, accepted his offer to watch TV (of all things) and to cap it all off she'd somehow then ended up falling asleep against his shoulder!

She had never been much of a cuddler and literally couldn't remember the last time she had fallen asleep like that so to wake and find herself draped comfortably around Castle had felt really strange, but also very, very good! So she'd selfishly just stayed there simply enjoying the feel of his even breathing on her neck, listening to his slow heartbeat and generally just feeling very...well...contented, there really was no other word to describe it.

But she had known that she couldn't stay there forever and she didn't want Castle to wake and find her draped around him like she was. So after a while she'd tried to extricate herself from him without waking him, to get away so that she could return home and reflect on the night's events and her own reactions to them. Castle being Castle had of course thwarted her plans by immediately waking as she pulled away, despite her care not to disturb him. And somehow the writer had talked her in to staying here in his loft, rather than returning to the safety of her own apartment. How on earth had she let that happen! It wasn't as-if Castle had come up with any really convincing arguments but he'd looked so desperate for her to stay that she just wasn't able to find it within herself to disappoint him. Or, if she was honest with herself, to deny the fact that part of her didn't want to be far from him either.

Kate shook her head at her own sappiness and pushed herself away from the door, walking towards the room's en-suite. She noted in passing that the bed was indeed made up and ready for her to crash in, just as Castle had promised it would be, and on entering the bathroom it too was fully stocked with everything she needed. She smiled to herself and wondered what kind of man kept a fully stocked spare room on the off-chance that an unexpected guest would drop in!

It didn't take Kate long to get ready for bed and when she closed the bathroom's door behind her she looked down at the king size and knew from experience that it would be a comfortable place to sleep. She stripped down to her underwear and slipped between the sheets, trying very hard to ignore the flush of embarrassment she felt at lying virtually naked in Castle's spare bedroom. What was she like 16 or something? It wasn't as if he was in the room with her and she knew she could trust him not to come barging in on some flimsy excuse - the man may be a lot of things but despite his innuendos she knew he was still a gentleman. Still, she felt surprisingly exposed lying there without any nightwear in Castle's spare bed.

Kate pulled the covers tight and closed her eyes, trying to summon sleep. But sleep wouldn't come as her mind drifted back again and again to the feeling of contentment she'd felt lying cuddled up next to her partner and the fact that she now felt a little alone without him there beside her. It was utterly ridiculous! Did it really only take a couple of hours cuddling with her partner for her to miss the feeling of him against her as she tried to sleep? She'd never felt any such nonsense before, not even with those that she'd been a damn sight more intimate with!

Kate sat up, punched her pillow for a few times (wishing half-heatedly that it was Castle she was punching for making her feel this way) before turning over and trying to distract her mind with other things. God, what she wouldn't do for a case right now, something to lose herself in and to distract her from the conundrum that was her feelings towards Castle.

-xxx-

The sound of her phone ringing woke Kate immediately. Years of being awoken at all hours had trained her mind to recognise and respond to her phone's ringtone automatically and so she'd never changed it, copying the same ringing tone to each new phone.

"Beckett," Kate said, grabbing her cell from the nightstand beside the bed and sitting up.

"Hey Beckett," came Ryan's familiar tone through the earpiece.

"Ryan," Kate said, glancing at her watch and suppressing a groan. She'd only been asleep for a maybe an hour! Well she had wished for a case to distract her so it was her own fault.

"Sorry to wake you but...well...you probably don't want to miss this one."

"What have we got," Kate said, sitting up straighter and pushing her tiredness and all other thoughts to the back of her mind.

"Well, our vic is a male in his forties and he was found out in the street covered in what appears to be his parachute..."

"A parachute?" Kate asked, wondering if she'd heard that last part right or if this was the start of some bizzare dream sequence.

"...yep. Looks like our vic was a base jumper," Ryan said.

"A base jumper?"

"Yeah. It's a different type of chute to those used when you jump out of a plane you see, very specialised."

Kate took the phone away from her ear and looked down at the screen in puzzlement. Yep, that was Ryan's ID and it sure sounded like him. "How do you even know that?" Kate asked, returning the phone to her ear.

"Oh, you know...er...I just...um...do. Anyway, that's not why I called. The guy may have jumped off a building and he certainly crash landed but that isn't the cause of death. I mean the parachute definitely opened 'cos he ain't all that messy but..." Ryan paused.

"Are you going to get to the point any time soon?" Kate said irritably after a moment or two's silence.

"Er, yeah, sorry. The guy may or may not have jumped but the fall didn't kill him. He's got two bullet holes in his chest and Lanie's sure he was dead before he hit the ground."

Kate blinked. Okaaaay, so they had someone who may, or may not, have jumped off a building (who the hell did that anyway?) but had also been shot - twice - before crashing down to earth. Was it even possible to shoot someone who had just jumped off a building with only a thin sheet of silk to protect him from a very messy and sudden death? He would have been travelling fairly quickly?

Her mind whirling with the possibilities Kate took the address from Ryan and told him she'd be there in 20 minutes. It wasn't until she put the phone down and swung her legs to get out of the bed that she remembered where she was and her current state of undress. 'Shit!' Kate thought, looking across the room at her discarded clothes. They definitely weren't appropriate for a crime scene and more importantly she didn't even have her gun or badge with her! She'd have to go back to her place first and there was no way she'd get to the crime scene in 20.

Kate stood up and grabbed her clothes. A quick and practiced run through her normal morning routine was minimally hampered by being in an unfamiliar bathroom but in little over 10 minutes Kate was ready and out of the door. She was halfway down the stairs and seriously considered just leaving and heading back to her place to change and grab her gear but she knew the boys would expect her to arrive with Castle in tow. A base jumper apparently shot - twice - mid-jump, there was no way that she wouldn't normally call Castle, despite the hour, and it would look odd if she turned up at the crime scene without the writer in tow.

Kate took a deep breath and headed over to where she knew the door to his bedroom lay. She'd never been in his room and it felt very wrong for her to barge in on him in the early hours of the morning but she really couldn't see that she had much of an alternative, especially as she spied his mobile still sitting on his coffee table next to the empty mug which had contained her hot chocolate from last night. Had that really only been a few hours ago? It seemed like a lifetime.

Kate reached the door and stood staring at it for a long moment before pulling herself together and knocking softly. There was no answer so she knocked again, a little louder this time. She thought she heard movement but there was no reply. Kate glanced down at her watch and cursed, she'd already wasted most of the 20 mins that she'd told Ryan and she hadn't even left Castle's loft yet! Kate grimaced and then steeling herself opened Castle's bedroom door and walked in.

The writer was sprawled face down on his bed, his covers barely covering his lower half and his chest bare. Kate felt her face redden as she stared at him like some kind of voyeur. She really shouldn't be here, shouldn't be doing this! She knocked on his now open door and hissed "Castle!" Her partner stirred slightly and turned over in his sleep but did not wake. Wondering how she'd gotten herself into this position Kate entered his room and walked over to his bed. She bent down beside him and tried very hard not to think about where she was or the fact her partner was lying half-naked in front of her. She reached out and shook his shoulder. "Castle," Kate hissed again. "Wake up damn you."

"Mmmm, Kate honey I'm sleeping," Castle said, his eyes still closed and his voice slurred and still full of sleep.

'Honey!' Had Castle just called her 'honey!' WTF! Where had that come from! Kate wasn't sure if she should be angry at his overly familiar sleepy words or touched by the unconcious endearment. She decided to stick with angry, that was much safer. Honey indeed!

"Castle, wake up right this minute otherwise I will tell Esposito and Ryan all about your soda incident!" Kate's voice was much louder this time and full of authority. Castle's eyes finally sprang open and he turned to stare up at her in surprise.

"Kate?" Castle said. "What...what's going on? What are you doing here?"

Kate pushed the fact she was standing in Castle's bedroom looking down at the barely dressed writer from her mind and concentrated on a spot by his left ear.

"We've got a body Castle and we have to go...now!"

"A body...what..." Castle passed a hand across his eyes and Kate couldn't suppress the thought that he'd look adorable if it wasn't for her desperate need to hurry! "Am I still asleep?"

"No you're not!" Kate said, a note of urgent panic creeping into her voice. "Castle, get up. We've got to go..."

"So this isn't a dream then?" Castle asked again.

Kare rolled her eyes. "No! Now for God's sake get up. We've got to go to my place so I can grab my gear then we've got to get to the crime scene. I told Ryan I'd be there in 20 minutes and that was..." Kate glanced at her watch and groaned, "...23 minutes ago. Castle get up!"

"Okay, okay, I'm getting up," Castle said grumpily and started to sit up. He stopped suddenly and lay back down again.

"Uh Kate?" Castle asked.

"What?" She replied impatiently.

"Well, you're...uh...standing in my room and I've got to you know uh...get dressed."

Kate's mouth dropped open once more as she remembered where she was and, yes, she was blushing again. She really was reverting to being a 16 year old!

"Oh...right, I'll just...um," Kate mumbled, pointing towards his door. She followed her own direction and walked quickly away from him and towards the safety of his office. Kate could feel Castle's eyes on her back as she stepped out of his room. She was closing his bedroom door behind her when she heard him call her name.

"Kate?"

Kate opened the door far enough to look back into her partner's room, noting that he was now sitting on the edge of his bed and ignoring the pleasant feeling in her stomach at seeing his half naked and sleep tousled form.

"What?" she said shortly.

"Just for the record, being woken up by you in person to tell me a body has dropped is WAY better than picking up your call!"

Kate groaned at him. "Just get up Castle, and hurry" she said before finally closing his door behind her. She was glad for the protection of the closed door so that Castle could not see the smile on her face that gave away the fact that she'd rather enjoyed waking him personally as well.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ok, so here is the next installment. This really was only ever intended as a one-off so I have no plan for where this is going at the moment. Or perhaps more accurately I think everyone can pretty much guess what the ultimate destination is likely to be but _how_ I'm going to get our favourite detective and writer there...I've no idea! **

**So for the time being I'm kind of treating it as a series of one-shots that just happen to be related to each other. ****I've no idea whether that's going to work so as always let me know if this makes sense (or if I forget my own story and contradict myself!)**

* * *

Rick brought a round of drinks over from the bar to their semi-private table in a corner of the Old Haunt. As the owner he knew he could get their drinks delivered without collecting them himself but he kind of liked the old tradition of going to the bar. After all, he didn't actually _pay_ for the drinks, at least not in the traditional sense, so he felt the least he could do was to go to the bar once in a while to collect their regular order. Plus it made them stand out a little less, which was never a bad thing.

"So Ryan," Esposito was saying as Rick arrived back at their table and dished out the drinks. "You still haven't told us how you knew which rooftop to look for..."

"...or why you were immediately able to identify a base jumper's specialised parachute," Kate chimed in, taking a delicate sip of her wine. Rick tried very hard not to think how sexy she looked as he took his seat next to her, just doing something as mundane and ordinary as drinking wine!

"Well...I just...you know...I've seen a lot of it on television and stuff," Ryan replied, sounding nervous and with a telling flush developing on his cheeks. It was a good job Ryan was a cop rather than a crook, Rick thought. He was a terrible liar and wouldn't last 5 mins on the other side of the fence!

"No way bro," Esposito retorted. "There's no way you could know all that stuff just from watching the Discovery channel or something. Spill!"

"There's nothing to spill..." Ryan protested but his face flushed even more at his obvious attempt to avoid answering their questions.

"Come on Ryan," Rick said. "There's no way we would have found the scene so quickly if you hadn't led us straight to it. I've seen a fair amount of extreme sport stuff on TV myself and I wouldn't have had a clue to start looking there."

"It was just luck..." Ryan protested but this time Kate cut him off by pulling out her cell. She turned to Esposito and in a stage whisper said, "I think I'll call Jenny - I'm sure she'll be happy to tell us why her husband knows so much about base jumping..."

"No!" Ryan exclaimed, yanking Kate's cell from her hand. "Fine, fine. I'll tell you but you have to promise not to tell Jenny ok?"

"Scout's honour," Rick said quickly, lifting his right hand in a mock salute.

Ryan sighed deeply and handed Kate's cell back to her. It said a lot about her curiosity that she didn't upbraid the Irish detective for taking it away from her.

"When I was 19," Ryan said, the reluctance clear in his tone. "I really wanted to date this girl - Ann. She was gorgeous and really into all the extreme stuff y'know? She was a little older than me and had already done a load of parachuting, mountain climbing, base jumping, the whole works. I was in total awe of her and I really wanted to impress her, show that I could keep up with her. So I kinda...ah...agreed to let her teach me how to do it."

"No way man," Esposito whispered in a slightly awed tone. Rick couldn't blame him as he gave a low whistle of his own appreciation. Base jumping was hard core stuff and Ryan? Wow, he would never have guessed that!

"Well, yes and no," Ryan mumbled, clearly embarrassed. "Ann did get me up a couple of simple climbs and I even did a couple of parachute jumps with her - scared the bejeezers out of me I can tell you. But I was young and thought I was in love so somehow I let her convince me to try a base jump with her. I was so scared that I spent every hour in the days leading up to it learning everything I could; the right equipment, the right technique, where you jump from and how things like wind speed and direction affects where you land...I tried to learn everything in the hope that it would help conquer my fear.

"But when she took me up to a cliff top on the coast, overhanging the water - a beginner's jump apparently - I just freaked. I couldn't do it, no way! She called me a baby and just jumped off the cliff, leaving me there." Ryan's tone had dropped to a whisper by now. "I still remember thinking that she was gonna die and that it was my fault 'cos she did it just to prove a point to me."

"And did she?" Rick asked, caught up in Ryan's surprising tale.

"Of course not! She opened her chute like the pro she was and glided gently down. By the time I got down to where she'd landed she'd already gotten back to shore and left. I felt rotten about it for weeks, avoided her completely, everywhere she hung out, the whole works."

"Did you every see her again?" Esposito whispered at his partner.

"To talk to? No." Ryan snorted. "But I did hear a few years back that she was married with two kids and working in a bank! Seems like real life eventually caught up with her as well."

"Do you regret it?" Rick asked.

"Not doing the jump? Absolutely not! One of the best decisions I ever made! They are all mad!" Ryan replied with a shudder before downing the majority of his pint in one go.

"Well," Kate said after a moment or two's stunned silence. "Look on the bright side, at least she didn't try to shoot you!"

Ryan stared at his boss for a couple of moments before grinning sheepishly and then starting to laugh, a laugh in which they soon all joined in on. Despite his recently revealed past (Ryan! Rick still couldn't believe it), Rick reflected that Ryan's teenage adventure into the world of extreme sports had at least not ended as badly as it had for their vic, although the case of the gunned down base jumper had proven to be much more mundane than they had all initially thought.

After Ryan had identified where their vic had jumped/fell from it had not taken the uniforms long to find the gun. It was registered to the father of an ex-girlfriend of their vic and it hadn't taken them long to identify her as their killer. She'd broken within minutes of being interrogated by Kate and confessed to everything. How she'd gone to remonstrate with her ex, how they'd argued and in a fit of rage she'd pulled her father's gun and shot him. Their vic had staggered back and went over the edge, his chute opening automatically to carry his now dead body to the ground with an unceremonious thump. Their killer had panicked and ran, throwing the gun away as she fled. So, all very open and shut, no fantastic shooting of a guy as he glided to earth having jumped off a building - no real mystery at all.

Rick was brought out of his thoughts on their recently closed case by the sudden vibration of his cell in his pocket and the not so subtle ringtone of "Dad, Dad, Dad..."

"Alexis," Rick said unnecessarily, standing up to answer his daughter's call. He headed towards his underground office so that he could hear what his daughter was saying.

"Hey honey," he said as he descended the stairs into his much quieter office.

"Hi Dad," Alexis replied. "Are you at a party or something?"

"No, no. Just down the 'Haunt with Kate and the guys after wrapping up a case. How's LA?" It had been almost two weeks since his daughter had left to join up with her mother in LA and Rick couldn't wait for her to get back home again, where she belonged.

"Oh you know; warm, sunny, full of empty headed movie star wannabees..."

"Alexis, that's no way to talk about you mother," Rick interrupted.

"Now, now. Play nice Dad," she replied but Rick could hear the amusement in her voice.

"So, are you looking forward to coming home? I'm picking you up from the airport at 10am tomorrow right?"

"Yeah...uh...about that..."

"What?" Rick asked cautiously at his daughter's sudden change to a slightly worried sounding tone.

"Well...it wasn't my idea or anything but...Mum's decided to come back to New York with me for a week or two," Alexis said, the last few words coming in a rush.

"What," Rick exclaimed, looking around as if his ex-wife would suddenly appear behind him. "Meredith's coming here!"

"Uh, yeah. I'm sorry Dad. I tried to convince her not too but you know Mum, once she's got her mind set on something..."

"It's ok pumpkin, I know it's not your fault." Rick said wearily, dropping into his office chair with an audible thump. Meredith! He hadn't see her in what...more than 2 years. Why had she decided to turn up now, just as he was finally starting to make some progress with Kate?

"Sorry Dad," Alexis said again, a note of sympathy in her voice. "I did try to convince her not to come, I really did."

"It's ok, it's ok," Rick reassured his daughter. The last thing he wanted was her feeling guilty because her mostly absent mother actually seemed to want to spend more time with her. "I'm sure we'll manage, somehow. Is she going to be on the same flight as you?"

"Yeah, she somehow managed to get a seat. Look Dad, I don't have much time. Mum has only just told me of her plans and I wanted to let you know what was happening. She's dragging me off to one of her parties in a minute so her 'friends'...", Rick could almost see his daughter's hands as she mimed the speech marks around the word 'friends'. "...can go all gooey eyed and tell her what a beautiful daughter she's got and that she can't possibly be old enough to be my mother." Alexis last words were said with barely concealed exasperation.

"She _does_ have a beautiful daughter," Rick replied, emphasising the word beautiful. "And she's the best daughter any parent could ever wish to have. Period."

"Thanks Dad," Alexis replied, sounding touched.

"Only telling it how it is, daughter of mine. Besides, with a father like me you can't help but be awesome!"

"Or modest!" Alexis replied, her tone sounding more like her normal self.

"That too!"

"Look Dad, I really do have to go. I just didn't want to turn up tomorrow with Mum in tow without warning you first. I'll see you tomorrow at ten 'k?"

"I'll be there, don't you worry. Hell or high water couldn't keep me from you so your mother doesn't stand a chance."

"Thanks Dad. Love you!"

"Love you too sweetie," Rock replied as his daughter hung up.

Rick swore under his breath. Meredith, here in New York from tomorrow - for at least a week, maybe two! Great! How the hell was he going to deal with her and keep up his snail like progress with Kate? If he wasn't careful this could set them back months!

Rick gulped the last remaining whiskey from the drink he'd brought down with him from the bar and poured himself another shot from a bottle he kept in his desk. He sat back in his chair, thinking furiously about how he would manage to avoid the advances his first wife was bound to make - advances for which he had lost interest in a long time ago - and how on earth he would convince Kate that Meredith meant nothing to him any more. That the only women he wanted for the rest of his life was her.

-xxx-

Rick's attention was jerked back from his depressing thoughts some considerable time later by a soft knocking coming from the direction of the office door. He looked up and was surprised to see Kate standing there at the bottom of the stairs.

"Can I come in?" Kate said.

"Of course, of course," Rick said, standing up and walking across the office to meet her halfway. "I'm sorry, I kind of got lost in thought and I guess I left you guys hanging up there."

"Is everything ok? Is Alexis alright?" Kate said, her voice laced with concern.

"Alexis? Yeah she's fine. A little strained around the edges after being around her mother for a couple of weeks I think but otherwise ok. She's looking forward to coming home tomorrow."

"Oh, good. When you didn't return after taking a call from her I thought for a moment that something bad had happened."

"God no! I'm sorry I worried you," Rick replied, somewhat touched by the concern Kate was showing for his only child. "Alexis is fine, I promise. C'mon, let's go back upstairs and I'll apologise to the guys for ignoring you all."

"Don't bother," Kate said with a small smile. "They left about 20 minutes ago. They got bored waiting for you to reappear."

"Oh, right," Rick said, feeling a bit of a heel for allowing himself to become so caught up in his problems that he ended up ignoring his friends for so long.

"You do owe then a text though," Kate said. "They'll want to know everything is alright with Alexis."

"They do?" Rick said.

"Of course they do! Jeez Castle, you know that they both look on your daughter like over-protective uncles. They wanted to know that everything was ok but couldn't hang around any longer to find out. You don't _actually_ think they upped and left 'cos they got bored waiting for you do ya?"

Rick suddenly found himself with a slight lump in his throat. Not only had the woman in front of him and the two detectives accepted him as a partner and friend (and in Kate's case hopefully more than just a friend) but they also cared about his daughter. Over-protective uncles - wow, that was...was actually very humbling.

"I'll...I'll do that now," Rick said, coughing slightly to try and cover the sudden surge of affection he felt for them all.

Rick pulled out his phone and quickly typed

**Guys - sorry I didn't return, got lost in thought (occupational hazard!). Alexis is fine, bk home 2moro as planned. Lunch is on me to make up for my bad manners! C.**

He sent the message to both Ryan and Esposito. When he looked up from his typing his eyes found that Kate had wandered over to his desk and was leaning up against it watching him.

"Apology sent," Rick said, holding his cell up.

"How do you even get a signal down here Castle?" Kate asked.

"Ah...the wonders of modern technology. I got a special signal booster fitted."

"Why?"

"I actually come down here quite a bit," Rick said. "Sometimes it's difficult to concentrate at home, especially when mother randomly uses my place as an impromptu theatre. So if I need some peace and quite to write I come here, just like I used to when I first started out - well almost. Then I wrote upstairs surrounded by the noise of others whereas now I get this fantastic place to practice my art."

"And the reason for the signal booster?" Kate prompted him.

"What? Oh right! Well, whilst I come here for peace and quiet I don't want to be unavailable. You know, in case y...uh, Alexis needs me," Rick answered, just about stopping himself before revealing the real reason why he had got the signal booster fitted. His mother and daughter knew that they could always call the bar upstairs and someone would come and get him if he was here but his cell was his lifeline to Kate and he didn't want to miss any opportunity to be with her simply because he was down here. The signal booster solved that problem, he could come here to write but if Kate needed him then he wouldn't miss her call.

"Uh, huh," Kate replied, sounding unconvinced. "So, have you heard from Martha at all?"

"The last time I heard from her the tour was going well," Rick replied, relieved at the change of subject. "Her show was still playing to packed houses and she sounded like she was having the time of her life. She's supposed to return home some time in the next couple of weeks but your guess is as good as mine as to when she'll actually turn up."

"Ah, poor Rick. Are you missing your mother?"

Rick's ears pricked up at Kate's rare use of his first name, albeit this time she was using it sarcastically. Still, even so it sent a small shiver of pleasure down his spine, as it did every time she used his given name - or at least the familiar shortening of his given name.

"Honestly? The loft has seemed very empty without both Alexis and Mother being around so I guess yes, a little bit. Although if you ever tell her that I'll deny saying it!"

"Your secret's safe with me," Kate said. "Or at least it is until I need something, then it will make good blackmail material."

"Why Katherine Beckett! I'm shocked that you of all people, one of NYPD's finest detectives, would stoop to blackmail!" Rick exclaimed in mock outrage at her suggestion. Kate just shrugged.

"Whatever works Castle, whatever works," she replied, grinning evilly at him.

Rick found himself smiling back at her, simply enjoying the relaxed interplay which had always come so naturally between them. They kept on looking at each other for a long moment and Rick felt the familiar feeling of time slowing around them as he lost himself in her eyes. God, she was so beautiful when she smiled like that, so unguarded and relaxed. He loved this side of Kate and the fact that he was one of the few people she let see her like this; a glimpse at the real woman which lay beneath the tough NYPD veneer.

Kate eventually broke the eye contact between them by turning away, but not before Rick had seen the slight flush on her face, a fact which only caused his smile to broaden even more.

"So...Er...Castle," Kate said, still not looking at him as she fiddled nervously with a pen she'd picked up off his desk. "What was it that distracted you so badly that you forgot all about us?"

Rick's broad smile disappeared quickly from his face as her words reminded him why they were down here on the first place: Meredith! Damn! How had he managed to forget that his ex-wife would be turning up tomorrow to throw God knows what complications into his life! Well, at least he knew the answer to that one, Kate had distracted him as she so often did by simply being in the same room as him. It was a shame that he had no such easy answers for what he was going to do about his ex-wife's imminent arrival.

"Uh...nothing," Rick said, grimacing at how weak his words sounded. Sure enough Kate picked up on his tone immediately and raised her eyes from the pen she'd been twirling between her fingers to look closely at him.

"Nothing? C'mon Castle, do you expect me to believe that 'nothing' distracted you so thoroughly that you left Ryan, Esposito and I hanging in a bar for," she paused and looked down at her watch, "for almost an hour."

"It's nothing, Kate, honestly," Rick said, knowing even as he said it that it would not be enough to satisfy her.

"Clearly it is something Castle," Kate replied. "What is it? You haven't been offered the opportunity to write about a certain spy again..." Kate's tone, which had started off quite teasingly now picked up a much more uncertain note, "...have you?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. Nikki Heat is far too popular - besides, I don't think I'll ever write about anyone else ever again."

"What...Why? No wait, don't answer that. If it isn't about your books or your daughter what was it?"

Rick sighed. Kate wasn't going to give this up and it wasn't like she wouldn't find out soon enough anyway. Perhaps it was better to tell her now, get it out in the open and get the pain over and done with, like quickly yanking a plaster off. Rick took a deep breath and mentally crossed his fingers.

"Meredith has decided to accompany Alexis back to New York," he blurted. "Apparently she may be around for a week or two. I swear Kate, I knew nothing about this, had nothing to do with it!"

Rick knew that his last words sounded like he was pleading for her to believe him but he didn't care. He'd seen her freeze as soon as he'd said his ex-wife's name and he could almost feel his worst fears coming to life in front of his eyes.

"Meredith's coming here?" Kate said quietly, her voice almost a whisper. "For two weeks..."

"Apparently," Rick said miserably. He could almost see the progress they'd made in the last few weeks and months draining away in front of him. He watched Kate as her face reflected a series of unknown thoughts that were obviously passing across her mind. He held his breath as he waited for her to speak, to pronounce their fate. Her features eventually stilled and she looked up at him, her thoughts and emotions once more hidden behind a mask he was depressingly far too familiar with.

"So, deep fried Twinkie time for you then, eh Castle," she said, her voice sounding full of false cheer.

"No!" Rick exclaimed, stepping forward to place his hands on her biceps. He was not going to let his ex-wife's sudden decision to take an interest in their daughter's life destroy whatever progress he'd made with Kate.

"No Kate. Three years ago I would have been fine with that but that was then and I am not the same person anymore. I haven't seen Meredith in over two years and I don't want to see her now, not like that. That part of my life is over, I'm not that person anymore. Yes, part of me is glad that Meredith finally seems to be taking some interest in Alexis' life but a much bigger part of me is dreading her coming here. She doesn't know the person I am today, not like you do, and I don't want her to! She only knows the person I was - "

Rick paused and stepped back from Kate, letting his hands fall dejectedly to his sides. " - and I don't want to be reminded of that person. I'm not very proud of how I acted back then." Rick looked up at Kate and hoped she could see his heart in his eyes, could see that it was her that had changed him, that had made him truly understand what had been missing in his life. He knew what he wanted now and it was not Meredith; or any casual flings. He only wanted one person for the rest of his life and she was standing in front of him right now, looking a little shocked at his sudden outburst.

"Since I met you, being at the precinct, seeing the things we've seen...it has made me face how shallow I was back then, how unfulfilled. So no, I don't want a 'deep fried twinkie', not now or ever again," Rick finished, not knowing what else he could say, other than to confess his undying love for her right here and now. But he knew that would be a stupid thing to do; that doing so would only worsen the situation. If he was ever lucky enough to ever be able to say those words to her again he needed to do it properly, when the time was right and with no associations to ex-wives or doubts that he absolutely, 100%, meant what he said.

Kate was quiet for a long time, long enough for Rick to want to say something more. But he managed to keep his mouth shut, to suppress his urge to ask what she was thinking and to give her whatever time she needed to reply to his sudden outburst. Eventually, after what seemed like a lifetime to Rick she spoke.

"So, Meredith is flying back with Alexis tomorrow?" she asked.

"Er...yes," Rick said cautiously, not knowing where she was going with this.

"And you're picking them up from the airport, yes?"

"I'm picking Alexis up from the airport, yes," Rick said, emphasising his words carefully. "But I suppose that means that I will also be picking Meredith up," he admitted reluctantly.

Kate nodded and then surprised him by pushing away from his desk and walking towards the stairs that led back up to the bar and away from him. He closed his eyes in pain before turning to watch her go, feeling his heart fall into the pit of his stomach. His words had fallen on deaf ears, or she simply didn't believe him. Either way she was walking away from him again and this time he wasn't certain if he would ever be able to convince her to come back.

Kate paused at the bottom of the stairs and then turned to face him. "Alexis gets in at 10am doesn't she?"

"Um...yeah," Rick said.

Kate nodded again and then said, "I'll pick you up at your place at 8am," she said before turning and disappearing up the stairs and out of sight.

Rick stood there with his mouth agape, completely taken aback by her words. Kate was going to pick him up? She was going to go with him to the airport to meet his daughter and ex-wife? But...what did that...was she really going to come...but that meant that she... Rick found himself grinning stupidly as his brain slowly caught up with events. If Kate wanted to go with him then she must believe him and maybe (did he even dare hope?) just maybe she wanted to lay some claim on him by being by his side when Meredith arrived. If that were true...Rick had never thought the idea of someone wanting to demonstrate that he was 'theirs' would ever be attractive or desirable but right now - if there was even the slightest possibility that it was part of the reason Kate had decided to go with him to meet Alexis and Meredith - well then right now it felt like the best feeling in the world!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N - Well I found this to be a very hard chapter to write and I suspect I may have been a little unfair on Meredith but hey, this _is _called fan_fiction_ for a reason right? Anyway, I hope you enjoy and please feel free to let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions about where to go next.**

**Oh, and if you haven't already guessed I'm not American nor have I ever been lucky enough to travel to New York so any and all geography in this story is ****deliberately **vague - I'll say again, fiction right :-)  


* * *

Rick was up early the next morning, his over active imagination not allowing him to sleep. Ever since Kate had left last night he'd tossed her words and actions back and forth in his head, trying to determine whether his initial reaction of hope was justified or whether there was some other reason for her sudden decision to accompany him. It hadn't worked. The only thing his constant worrying had achieved was a bad night's sleep followed by being up at an ungodly hour this morning. So it was actually a relief when he finally heard the knock at his door which signalled his partner's arrival. He may not know what Kate was thinking or whether this was going to be a good or a bad day for 'them' (if such a thing as 'them' even existed) but at least the waiting was over.

"Kate," Rick said with a smile on his face as he opened his door to greet his partner. Regardless of what the day may hold he was still genuinely pleased to see her. She was dressed casually and as usual was not wearing a great deal of make-up but also as usual it did not matter in the least - she just had this inner beauty which shone out from within and it captivated him as much now as it had four years ago when he'd first laid eyes on her.

"Castle," Kate said in return. "You ready?"

"Of course," Rick replied, reaching over to grab his jacket. "Did you doubt I would be?"

"This time of the morning and at the weekend?" Kate replied, looking sceptically at him as they made their way to his building's elevator. "To be honest Castle I half expected that I might have to drag you out of bed again."

Rick half stumbled at her teasing reply. He hadn't expected her to bring that morning up any time soon, let alone so casually - as if her getting him out of bed, in person, was something she did every day (oh how he wished that were true)!

"I'm hurt at your lack of faith in me detective," Rick said as the doors to the elevator opened and they stepped in for the trip down. "Although if I'd known you'd have broken in just to get me up I may have deliberately stayed in bed."

"Don't flatter yourself Castle," Kate replied, not looking at him and therefore missing his wagging eyebrows. "If you hadn't had been ready I would have gone without you..."

"You wouldn't!" Rick exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, don't be ready next time I say I'm going to pick you up and you'll find out," Kate said, this time meeting his eyes with an evil looking grin. The elevator shuddered to a halt and they stepped out into the lobby, Rick a pace or two behind Kate as he digested her words.

"You really would've gone without me?" he asked plaintively a moment or two later as they exited his building and headed for Beckett's crown vic.

"Yep," Kate replied without hesitation. "I mean, it wouldn't be fair to leave your daughter stranded at the airport now would it? Of course, I'd have to tell her that her Dad preferred staying in bed to seeing his only child...," she trailed off as they reached her car and she ducked into the driver's seat.

"Funny Kate!" Rick said sulkily as he got in the other side. "You know I would never do that - especially leaving her with Meredith!" He shuddered. "Alexis would never forgive me!"

"Oh come oonnn Castle, lighten up!" Kate replied, slapping him on the leg as she pulled away from the curb. "Of course I wouldn't just have left you there! God, You are just too easy!"

"Humph," Rick grunted, his apparent irritation mainly feigned. He was actually quite happy to see her in such a good mood this morning; teasing him with good natured banter was definitely much better than many of his worse imaginings from last night! Still, he kept it up just to see how long it would be before she would crack. He was really struggling to maintain his act when, finally, 20 minutes later she broke the silence.

"So, I guess this means I now know what a true Castle sulk is really like?" she asked, glancing over at him as she drove in the slow morning traffic.

"I'm not sulking," Rick replied, working hard to make his voice sound sulky whilst suppressing the grin which was threatening to break out on his face.

"Hmmm, could've fooled me."

That did it, Rick couldn't continue his deception any longer. "I think I just did," he said triumphantly. He did a little victory jig in his seat and grinned broadly at Kate's bemused expression. "Now who's easy de-tec-tive," he crowed at her.

"God, you really are a child aren't you?" Kate said.

"You're only saying that 'cos I fooled you," Rick replied, milking his rare victory over her for all it was worth.

"Whatever Castle," Kate said, rolling her eyes at him but with a small upturn to her lips which Rick interpreted as amusement at his antics. It was something he'd learnt early on in their partnership, with her stressful job and the very serious attitude it dictated Kate actually found his often irreverent attitude a pleasant distraction...most of the time. And as he loved to see her smile he would happily play the fool every now and again just to get that small quirk of her lips or the rolling of her eyes which showed he'd hit his mark.

* * *

It took them almost an hour to weave their way through the busy morning traffic and to find a half decent parking space somewhere vaguely near the terminal. Still, that meant they'd made decent enough time so that they had almost an hour to wait before Alexis (and Meredith) arrived.

"Coffee?" Rick offered as they entered the building, thinking that would at least be a semi-normal thing for them to be doing in this otherwise decidedly not normal situation.

"Sure," Kate replied.

They made their way to one of the many coffee shops which peppered the airport terminal and took up residence in a relatively quiet corner, passing the time over their coffee discussing some of their recent cases and indulging in a little people watching. Despite the care in which Rick had chosen their spot he was approached a couple of times whilst they chatted. He responded as politely and jovially as he always tried to, signing one woman's airline ticket and posing for a couple of photographs with a young couple.

"Sometimes I forget about this part of your life," Kate said after the second interruption.

Rick shrugged. In truth he'd pulled back a lot in recent years from publicity events and generally the whole celebrity merry go-round. There were still parts of it that were great of course but a lot of it didn't hold the same attraction for him these days. Yet another side affect of being around Kate and her job - what he saw and experienced whilst with Kate and the guys did really highlighted the total shallowness and unimportance of so much of that lifestyle.

"Fortunately we don't see too many fans at crime scenes," he said, taking another sip of his coffee. "But, at the end of the day I owe them a great deal - if they didn't buy my books well, my life would be very different to what it is now." Rick didn't add that one of those things that would be different was that he would never have met her, and that fact alone was worth all of the autographs and impromptu photo sessions with fans.

"Wow Castle, that was almost humble!" Kate teased him, smiling around her mug as she lifted it to her lips to sip her drink.

"Hey, I can do humble!" Rick protested.

"Yeah? The man with the mayor on speed dial? Really humble there Rick?"

Rick again! Oh, he could do get used to her calling him that. "I can't help it if the great and the good of this city love my work," he replied, deliberately putting on the most pompous voice he could manage.

"Great and the good! Hah!" Kate snorted with laughter and Rick smiled broadly at her, once again loving to see this side of her.

"I was including _you_ in that list Kate," he shot back at her mocking laugh. Kate choked on her drink at those words and Rick leaned back to enjoy the spluttering protestations of his partner as she refuted any association to the mayor or his other 'friends'. He let her continue for a minute or so before holding a hand up to stop her, " as I said this morning...now who's easy de-tec-tive!"

Kate narrowed her eyes then picked up one of their discarded coffee stirrers and threw it at him.

They continued the comfortable back and forth of their banter until Kate reminded him it was almost time for Alexis to arrive. Rick paid for their drinks and they wove their way through the crowded terminal to where the arrival board indicated the LA passengers would be disembarking shortly. They didn't have to wait long before Rick spotted his daughter as she emerged from the throng of people, her red hair acting like a beacon and drawing his eyes straight to her as it always had. He grinned broadly and waved madly to get her attention. Alexis quickly spotted him and the smile which broke out on her face almost broke his heart. He was truly one of the most blessed people on this planet to have such a wonderful, beautiful daughter.

"Dad!" Alexis exclaimed happily as he enfolded her in a bear hug.

"It's great to see you pumpkin, really great," Rick said, his voice choked with a mixture of joy, love and simple relief that his daughter was back home.

"I missed you too Dad," Alexis said grinning at him. She looked over his shoulder and started in surprise in his arms. "Kate!" She exclaimed.

Rick turned to see his partner standing a pace or two behind him, she must have backed off a bit to give them a little space for their reunion. She was smiling at them both, a mysterious look on her face that Rick couldn't quite identify.

"Hi Alexis, how was your trip?" She asked his daughter, stepping forward.

"Great, great. I wasn't expecting to see you here though? What did my Dad do this time? He didn't blackmail you into coming did he?"

Kate smiled at her question and Rick was suddenly reminded of their conversation last night, when it had been Kate that had all but threatened _him_ with blackmail.

"No, not this time," she said. She leaned forward to stage whisper in Alexis' ear, "Would you believe that I somehow ended up volunteering! Personally I think your father may have put something in my drink..."

"Hey!" Rick exclaimed as Alexis giggled at Kate's insinuation.

"I'm really glad your back Alexis, you wouldn't believe how much moping around your father has done over the past couple of weeks!"

"Oh, don't tell me. He was doing the whole 'lost puppy' thing right?" Alexis asked.

"Completely."

"I'm soo sorry Kate," Alexis said, glancing over at him. "I just can't leave him alone for a minute - it's _so_ hard bringing up a parent!"

"I am right here you know," Rick grumbled as Kate laughed at his daughter's words.

"Oh we know Castle, we know," Kate replied, winking at Alexis. She then sobered up a little and peered around his daughter. "Sooo, I understand your Mother decided to come back with you?" Kate asked.

Alexis narrowed her eyes a little at the tone of forced casualness that even Rick could hear in Kate's voice.

"Oh, she'll no doubt catch up in a minute or two," Alexis replied. "She got distracted by one of the airline pilots, I think it's the uniform. I told her I'd go ahead to meet Dad but I'm not sure she even heard me."

Rick noted the slight tone of sadness in his daughter's voice at her mother's tendency to forget all about her. "How has it been?" He quietly asked her.

"Oh, you know what it's like with Mum!" Alexis said in a tone full of false brightness. "She's still just as...full of life as ever."

Always the diplomat his daughter, Rick thought as he enfolded her in another bear hug, this time in sympathy. He knew Alexis loved her mum but he also knew better than anyone just how difficult she was to be around for any length of time and Alexis had spent two whole weeks without much escape from the fantasy world Meredith lived in.

As if his thoughts had called to her Rick closed his eyes as he heard his name being called in his ex-wife's familiar voice. Rick looked up and smiled warily as Meredith come into view, dragging a ridiculously large suitcase behind her. Alexis extricated herself from his arms just in time as his ex-wife gave up on dragging her suitcase and stepped forward, obviously expecting his embrace. He carefully took hold of her arms and leaned in to place a brief, chaste kiss on her cheek (ignoring her expectant lips) before releasing her and stepping back to pull his daughter back to his side. He hated using Alexis as a shield, but he was pretty sure she understood and would forgive him.

"Meredith, it's good to see you again," Rick said, trying to sound as if he really meant it.

"Richard! After almost two years all I get is a peck on the cheek! Come on, I expect a little more than that..." She stepped forward as if to plant a kiss directly on his lips but before Rick could react she was suddenly stopped mid-step by Kate moving in between them and taking one of her hands.

"Meredith. It's good to see you again," Kate said, her voice polite but sounding rather false to Rick's ears.

Meredith looked at the woman standing in front of her with some puzzlement, obviously having no idea who she was or why she was there.

"Meredith, you remember my partner Kate...uh Detective Beckett," Rick said weakly, wondering if sparks were about to fly. The confusion cleared from Meredith's eyes and she looked Kate up and down in assessment. Kate just stood there, and even though he couldn't see her face he was willing to bet that she was meeting Meredith's appraising look without blinking.

"Ah yes, Detective Beckett. Your muse. I would have thought you would have moved on to another one by now Richard," Meredith said, returning her gaze to him.

"Not this time Meredith," Rick said seriously, as much for Kate's benefit as for his ex-wife's. "Whilst Kate undoubtedly continues to inspire my writing I'm incredibly lucky that she allows me to remain by her side as her partner. What she and her team do is, well it's incredible and important and it is my privilege to be allowed to occasionally help out."

"Oh, don't sell yourself short Castle," Kate said, moving away from Meredith to stand by his side. "Rick has risked his life to save mine and many others more times than I can count and has been instrumental in the arrest and conviction of a large number of murderers and other serious criminals. It is we who are the lucky ones to have him there."

Rick's mouth opened in shock at her words. He had never heard Kate defend his position as her partner like that before, so...so passionately! He kind of knew that she'd gotten used to his presence by her side and he believed she did appreciate his contributions to their cases but her words were much more than a casual implication that he was important to her work. They were an impassioned defence of him as her partner and it made him want to reach out and grab her so that he could kiss her senseless right then and there.

"Richard? Risk his life? Oh I'm sure you're exaggerating detective," Meredith said with a dismissive wave.

"Not in the slightest," Kate said calmly and with such conviction that she even made Meredith pause. Their encounter almost 4 years before had been brief and he doubted Meredith remembered much of it so this was the probably the first time that she had truly 'seen' the Kate he knew and he suspected she was just beginning to see the cold hard core of determination that was such an integral part of the woman he loved.

"Hmmm, well whatever," Meredith said. "Why are you here anyway detective? Not about to arrest anyone for murder are you?"

Although the question was nearly identical to the one Alexis had asked moments before the whole tone and attitude behind it was very different this time. Alexis had been surprised to see Kate but Rick supposed she was so used to her being by his side that her question about her unexpected presence today had been one of simple curiosity. Meredith's on the other hand very clearly indicated that Kate's presence was not only unexpected but it was also not particularly welcome.

"Ah...Kate very kindly offered to be my ride," Rick said as he sensed his partner tensing beside him.

"Really! What's the matter Richard, can't you afford a limo these days? Are your latest books not selling well? Perhaps you do need a new muse after all!"

"Mum!" Alexis exclaimed from Rick's side.

"It was very generous of Kate to give up her morning to keep me company and to offer to bring Alexis and I back home," Rick said stiffly, squeezing his daughter's shoulder and placing a restraining hand on Kate's arm. He had almost forgotten how unpleasant his ex-wife could be when she wanted to. "I'm sure you can hire a suitable vehicle somewhere in the airport to meet your own travel needs."

Meredith gaped at Rick as he took Alexis by one hand and gently guided Kate away with the one he still had wrapped around her forearm.

"Castle. What are you doing?" Kate hissed at him as he moved her away, threatening to pull her arm from his grip.

"I thought it was time to leave before things got out of hand," Rick replied calmly. "I don't know how long it would have been before airport security would have been called in if I let you teach Meredith a lesson for her bad manners. Can you imagine the paperwork that would have generated? Not to mention the explaining we would have had to do to Gates!"

"Humph," Kate huffed but she stopped trying to free her arm from his grip and allowed him to continue leading them away.

"Alexis, honey," Rick said, turning to his daughter. "I'm sorry to drag you away from your mother like that but sometimes she can just be..."

"Richard, Richard, I'm sorry," Meredith's voice came from behind them. Rick turned to see his ex-wife hurry up, dragging her large suitcase behind her. "I didn't mean to..." she stopped and took a couple of breaths to calm herself. "I didn't mean to imply anything, I was just surprised that's all. Please forgive me."

Meredith looked at him in a way which he knew, years ago, would have had him forgiving her for her rudeness. But he was not surprised to find that now it had no affect on him at all and all he saw was the falseness of her apology. So he just looked back at her, saying nothing. Meredith's expectant look faded as she slowly realised he was not going to just give in to her as he had so many times in the past.

"Detective Beckett," she said, turning away from him to address the women by his side, whose arm he was suddenly conscious he still gripped in his hand. "I fear we have got off on the wrong foot. It has been a long tiring trip and I was not thinking straight. Please, accept my apologies for any offence I may have caused."

Kate looked at her long and hard for a moment or two before nodding curtly, just once. Rick knew that Kate may forgive his ex-wife's words she would not forget them, or the implication that she was not good enough for him. So sad, Rick thought, that Meredith didn't understand that it was the other way around, it was he who was really not good enough for her and he'd spent much of the past few years trying to make a better person of himself so that he could be the man she deserved.

Meredith sighed as if the matter was settled. "As Richard said, it is indeed very generous of you to offer to help collect our daughter from the airport. I know my return to New York wasn't planned so would it be terribly rude of me to ask if you would be kind enough to take me into the city as well?"

Kate looked at Meredith and Rick felt sure that she would refuse, he certainly wouldn't blame her for doing so. But she surprised him by glancing down at Alexis before nodding once to herself. "Of course, Meredith," she said politely.

"Thank you," Meredith replied.

Rick looked closely at his partner. Meredith had not exactly endeared herself with her insinuations and snide comments (long, tiring journey indeed!) but he had not missed the glance Kate had given his daughter before allowing his ex-wife to accompany them. He suspected that Kate had been thinking of her own mother at that moment, at how she'd been denied her mother's love for so long by a cruel twist of fate. Compared to the pain of that loss, pain which still defined his beautiful detective, he guessed that Kate had chosen to ignore Meredith's barely concealed barbs for the benefit of her daughter...and that just spoke volumes about the kind of person Kate was.

As they all turned to head out of the terminal and back to Kate's car Rick reached down and took Kate's hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze in gratitude. She turned to look at him in surprise then glanced down to where he still held her hand. She looked back up at him and smiled and Rick felt his heart pound at the tender look he glimpsed in her eyes before she turned away, not breaking the contact between them.

* * *

Rick eventually managed to get the suitcases into the trunk of Kate's car. Alexis' had not proved to be all that difficult but he'd been forced to push and shove and try several times before he eventually managed to wedge Meredith's oversized bag into the car. Whilst he'd been struggling with the suitcases Alexis and Meredith had settled into the back of Kate's car so that by the time he was finished they were all ready to go. He took his normal seat by Kate's side and she pulled out of the short term car park and navigated her way out of the airport and back towards the city.

The atmosphere in the car wasn't great. Despite Kate choosing to ignore Meredith's barbs Rick could tell she was still angry at his ex-wife and a quick glance over his shoulder told him that his daughter was not feeling all that well disposed towards her mother either. Meredith seemed blissfully unaware of her daughter's unenthusiastic responses as she continued to chat away to her. As Alexis caught his glance she rolled her eyes at him before adding yet another "Yes Mum" answer to one of Meredith's questions.

"So Kate," Meredith said suddenly after they'd been travelling for about 20 minutes. "Why did you choose to become a cop?"

Rick winced at the unexpected question and looked over at his partner, fearful of how she would react. Of course, Meredith would not know her history - she took precious little interest in anything that didn't directly involve her. Kate's lips tightened at the question and Rick could see her knuckles whiten as she gripped the steering wheel a little harder.

"It seemed the right thing to do at the time," Kate responded, her tone clearly indicating that she did not want to go into any more detail.

"So Meredith," Rick said quickly before she could ask any further questions. "How's the acting going? Have you had any good parts lately?"

As he hoped it would, changing the subject to her chosen career started Meredith off on a long winded explanation of all her recent roles. It was a long list of minor appearances in TV shows and the occasional small part in films that he'd never heard of but to hear Meredith tell it she was regularly rubbing shoulders with 'A' list stars and her big break in a major film was just around the corner - the same as it had been when they'd been married. Rick only half listened as he concentrated on watching Kate out of the corner of his eyes. She remained tense for a minute or two but when it became apparent that Meredith was not going to return to the topic of why Kate became a cop her shoulder's slowly relaxed and she loosened her grip on the wheel of the car. Rick sighed in relief, Kate was already strung tightly enough with Meredith's sudden reappearance she didn't need any reminders of her Mother's death making things worse.

Meredith's continued litany lasted long enough for them to reach the main part of the city. Kate looked over at Rick, cocked an eyebrow at him and jerked her head at his ex-wife. He immediately knew what she meant and he turned in his seat, interrupting Meredith mid-flow.

"So Meredith, where are you staying?" Rick asked.

"Staying?" Meredith said in puzzlement.

"Yes. What hotel are you staying in so that we can drop you off."

"Hotel? Oh, I thought I could stay with you Richard - you know, so I can be close to Alexis before she goes off to college," Meredith replied.

"Stay with me," Rick said weakly.

Alexis' eyes had opened wide in shock at her mother's words and she shook her head at him mouthing 'no'. Rick couldn't agree more! The last thing he wanted was to have Meredith around the loft for a few days, for many, many reasons! Rick didn't even dare look over to Kate dreading what he would see or what she would think of his ex-wife's off-hand statement.

"That's n...not possible Meredith," Rick stammered.

"Why not? You still have a spare room don't you? It's not like I expect to share your bed Richard...well not like _that_ anyway," Meredith replied archly.

Rick closed his eyes. This was getting worse and worse by the second! He had to put a stop to it now, just tell her that it was not going to happen. She was not going to stay with them and they were definitely not going to be sharing any bed anytime soon, or ever again. Rick opened his mouth to say just that but before the words came out Kate spoke up, her voice surprisingly calm.

"I'm sorry Meredith but Rick very generously offered his spare room to me for a couple of weeks whilst my apartment building is being renovated. That's part of the reason I offered to be his ride today - to pay him back a little you know."

Rick swung his eyes from his ex-wife to his partner and stared at her in surprise. She continued to stare out of the window as if driving was taking 100% of her concentration and her sudden declaration hadn't been a complete fabrication. Where on earth had she got that from! She had said it with such complete conviction if he didn't know it for the lie that it was he would have believed every word she'd just said.

"You're...you're staying with Richard," Meredith stuttered in surprise.

"In his spare room," Kate said firmly. "Yeah, I've been there for a few days as my whole apartment block is virtually uninhabitable at the moment. You wouldn't believe the noise! I'm very grateful for Rick's hospitality, he just absolutely refused to allow me to stay in a hotel when he heard and insisted I stayed in his spare room. I wasn't happy about it at first but he can be quite persuasive and I eventually agreed. Isn't that right Rick?" Kate said, finally glancing over at him.

"Uh...yeah, that's right." Rick managed, thinking fast. "I'm really sorry Meredith, I offered my spare room to Kate for as long as she needs it and I can't take that back - what kind of host would I be if I did that? It would never have occurred to me that you would want to stay at the loft, you never have before."

"Oh," Meredith said quietly. "I just assumed..." She paused for a moment before gathering herself. "Of course, if you've already offered the room to Kate," she said, biting off Kate's name, "then I wouldn't want to impose. I just thought it would be nice to be close...to Alexis, that's all."

Rick found that hard to believe, given her general lack of interest in her daughter up until now. Meredith wasn't a 'bad' person as such but she was totally self absorbed and it was clear to him now that whilst Alexis' might be part of the reason she was here, she wasn't likely to be the main reason. Meredith never stayed at his loft when she was in town and wanting to do so this time - well that simply suggested to him that she wanted something and he somehow doubted it had much, if anything, to do with their daughter.

"So...which hotel do you want me to drop you at?" Kate asked.

"What...oh...err I guess the Hilton will do," Meredith said.

Fortunately they weren't very far from there so it was less than ten minutes before Kate was pulling up outside the hotel. She turned in her seat and said, "Well we're here. I'm really sorry again Meredith, for taking Rick's spare room. I'd offer to go back to my place to get out of your way but it's all sealed off and all my stuff is already at Rick's. If we'd known you were coming before and wanted the room I could have made other arrangements but with my job and all they need to know where to find me and, well it just would take days to make all the arrangements. I hope you can understand."

"Of course," Meredith replied unconvincingly. "Thank you for the lift, detective," she said before getting out of the car.

"You'd better help her get her case out of the trunk Castle," Kate said to Rick as he sat there, still a little shocked at the turn of today's events.

"Case? Case, yeah right," Rick mumbled as he got out. He went round to the back of Kate's car and with some grunting and effort he eventually managed to free Meredith's case from the car. He wheeled it over to his ex-wife and stood there awkwardly for a moment or two as she said goodbye to Alexis, not knowing what to say.

"So," Meredith said after Alexis had gotten back into Kate's car. "Will I see you without your shadow whilst I'm in town."

"Shadow," Rick said in confusion.

"You know, that woman," Meredith replied jerking her head at Kate's car.

"Kate is my partner Meredith and my friend," Rick said with a sigh. "We naturally spend a lot of time together."

"Does that include bed time Richard?" Meredith said, stroking his chest with one hand.

"No," Rick said honestly. Much as he would like that to be true it wasn't and he wouldn't lie about it. Still, he most definitely didn't want to give Meredith any encouragement or suggestion that just because he wasn't sleeping with Kate he was available for her. He grabbed Meredith's hand to still her stroking motion, "But that doesn't matter. Meredith, I hope that you really are here because of Alexis, I really do, and whilst you are in town I will happily accommodate any time that you want to spend with our daughter. But that's it, nothing more. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Come on Rick, not even once - for old time's sake?" Meredith said, leaning in and purring her words suggestively.

"No Meredith," Rick said firmly stepping back. "I don't want to hurt you but while what we had was fun while it lasted its time has come and gone. For our daughter's sake I will do everything I can to keep our relationship friendly and cordial but that's all."

"Friendly and cordial!" Meredith exclaimed, looking at him as-if he'd just slapped her. "After all this time that's it! You just say 'it's over' and expect that to be that!"

"Yes," Rick said simply.

"But what about us? What about what we have?"

"There is no 'us' Meredith, there hasn't been an 'us' since you left me for someone else. For God's sake we haven't even seen each other for nearly two years! Doesn't that tell you anything? I'm sorry Meredith but I just don't want that type of casual relationship any more, not with you, not with anyone. I've changed Meredith, or perhaps I've just woken up and accepted that what I was doing wasn't making me happy. Either way I hope we can still be friends but that is all."

Meredith stared at him for a long moment in disbelief before grabbing her suitcase and storming off. Rick stood there and watched her go, wondering why he felt like he'd just broken up with her, even though he hadn't seen her for more than two years and he had no doubt she'd not been celibate in that time. He sighed and walked back round to get into Kate's car.

"Is everything alright Dad?" Alexis asked as he sunk back into his chair.

"Yeah pumpkin, everything's fine. I don't think your mother liked what I had to say very much but I'm sure she'll get over it."

"What did you tell her?" Kate asked quietly from beside him. Rick turned to face his partner and could see the tension in her shoulders and the tightness around her eyes. He glanced over to Alexis and then took a deep breath.

"I told her that whilst I was happy to see her, for Alexis' sake, that was all and that things were different between us now. We would always have a connection because of Alexis but other, aspects, of our relationship had changed for good and she needed to accept that."

"Oh," Kate said but Rick saw some of the tension drain out of her shoulders. She turned away from him and pulled the car away from the hotel and into the traffic. Rick sighed in relief as they put some distance between them and his ex-wife. He had no doubt that Meredith was going to cause more problems before she left but for now she was safely deposited at her hotel and he was travelling away from her with his two favourite women.

"Thank you Kate," Rick said after a couple of minutes.

"For what?"

"For being here today...for putting up with my ex-wife and definitely for saving my life with your quick thinking about my spare room!"

She glanced at him and shrugged, "That's what partners do, look out for each other. I hope you didn't mind my deception Alexis?" Kate asked looking at his daughter in her rear view mirror. "I caught you mouthing 'no' to your Dad and so I just assumed...if I was wrong please tell me and I'll turn back to the hotel right now..."

"No!" Alexis said hurriedly. "No, Kate, please. What you said was fine! I...I just hope you don't hate me not wanting to spend more time with my Mum. I love her, I really do, but she can be quite...over-whelming and after two whole weeks..."

"I understand Alexis," Kate said warmly. "And I most certainly don't hate you. I can't imagine what two whole weeks with Meredith must have been like for you."

"Trying," Alexis said with a small laugh. "Very, very trying!"

They travelled in a comfortable silence for a while but there was a nagging question in the back of Rick's head which he had to ask before they arrived back at his building.

"Um...Kate?" He asked tentatively.

"Yes?"

"Do you...uh...actually plan on staying in our spare room? I mean you're more than welcome to if you want but I don't know if you just said that to get Meredith to stay in a hotel or if you really meant it."

"I don't know if that's a good idea Castle," Kate said uncertainly.

"I don't want to pressure you into anything but you know Meredith has a tendency to just...turn up unexpectedly. It really is up to you but if you're not there and she just turns up, which she is very likely to do..."

"Dad's right Kate," Alexis said. "If Mum is going to be in town for a couple of weeks I can guarantee she'll turn up unannounced more than once. And if you're not actually staying there then I'll have to lie when I do see her and I really am a terrible liar. Please, Kate, don't make me lie to my mum."

Rick was a little surprised by Alexis' willingness to have Kate stay with them but he was really pleased that she seemed so relaxed about it and was even encouraging the obviously reluctant detective to go along with her own deception. Emboldened by his success earlier in the day he reached over and gently squeezed Kate's shoulder.

"It really is your choice Kate, but we would both be very happy if you did come and stay with us for a few days. Just to keep up the deception with Meredith of course."

Kate looked first at Alexis in the rear view mirror and then glanced at Rick. She sighed gently and said, "I'm going to regret this aren't I?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So it took a while for me to update this, partly as I struggled for inspriation and partly because there was far too much great sport on TV! Go Team GB :-)  
**

**As always, let me know what you think, whether the pacing is right or if it's too slow. As an aside. I really don't intend to go too in-depth into any cases as that isn't the focus of this story but they do provide a backdrop so please forgive the diversion in this chapter.  
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* * *

The call came shortly after they had all arrived back at Castle's loft. Kate had barely unpacked her hastily put together suitcase when Esposito was on the line - a young woman in her 20's had been found dead at her flat. Esposito reported that she'd been shot and her apartment tossed. Kate ended the call after taking down the address and looked around the room, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu. It had only been two days ago that she'd taken a similar call in this room, and whilst the circumstances were quite different the fact of the matter was that she had taken the call whilst at Castle's...again. And that just like last time she now had to go downstairs and tell him in person that they had a body. Ok, so it was unlikely she'd have to raise him from his bed this time but it was still not something she'd expected to be doing again anytime soon.

At least this time she had her gun and badge with her so there was no need for any side trips to her apartment or hastily concocted stories as to why they were so late arriving. She'd blamed it on Castle that last time, making it seem like it was his fault for making her late. Well, it had been his fault _really_...from a certain point of view. He'd been the one to convince her to stay at his loft that night after all and if it wasn't for that she would have taken the call at home and wouldn't have been so late arriving at the scene.

To be fair, Castle had played along with her with barely a pause, his flair for storytelling enabling him to concoct a very convincing tale of woe which completely misdirected her colleagues (not an easy thing to do with cynical New York cops) whilst at the same time never actually telling straying into falsehood. It had been masterful in its way, his story of how difficult it had been to drag himself out of bed; how exasperated she'd been with him over how long he'd made her wait. What he'd said was filled with half-truths and omissions but he made it sound so natural and convincing that she would have believed him herself if she hadn't known exactly what had happened that morning.

Well, hopefully they wouldn't need anything like that today. It was a much more reasonable hour and there was plenty of time for them to get to the scene this time without raising any questions. Kate quickly changed into more business like clothing before clipping on her badge and holstering her gun. One final check in the bathroom and she was out and down the stairs. She found Castle perched on a kitchen stool staring into space. He looked up as she approached and reached over to push a cup of coffee along the counter towards her.

"For you detective," he said smiling broadly at her.

"That'll have to be to go Castle," Kate replied eyeing the cup wistfully. "We've got a body."

"Really?" Castle said, his eyes lighting up in excitement.

"Yes, really," Kate replied cocking an eyebrow at his enthusiasm. "There's no need to be so happy about it though."

"I'm not!" Castle protested before amending. "Well, of course I'm not happy someone's dead but...well a new case is always so full of possibilities."

"Hmmm," Kate said noncommittally, not willing to admit she understood exactly what he meant. She of all people knew how devastating a death could be to those close to the victim but there was no denying the small thrill of excitement that each new case brought. A new puzzle full of unknowns for her to solve and, hopefully, to ensure justice for the victim.

"I don't know how many 'possibilities' this one's going to have," Kate said, giving in and reaching out to take a long sip of the coffee Castle had prepared for her - it really would be criminal to waste it. "Espo reported that it looked fairly straight forward."

"Oh but you never know detective," Castle rejoined, standing up. "I can remember more than one 'open and shut' that turned out to be anything other than simple. Just let me tell Alexis that we're going out."

Castle walked over to the bottom of the stairs and called out his daughter's name. Alexis' red head appeared a moment or two later at the top of the stairs.

"You called, father dearest?" she said, rather dryly.

"I did, O daughter of mine," Castle replied in kind. He took on a more serious tone as he continued. "We've got a body," he said, waving his hand between Kate and himself.

"Oh, right. Well let me know if I should expect to see you later today."

Kate shook her head at the casualness with which Alexis had accepted the death of another human being and the inevitable call on her father's time. Well, it wasn't inevitable, not really. It wasn't his job after all and he didn't need to come along - but after all this time it would feel odd if he wasn't there by her side, so used had she become to his presence in her life.

"We will. Call me if you need anything ok?"

"Of course Dad," Alexis said rolling her eyes at him. "I'll see you both later...say 'hi' to Dr Parish for me."

"Will do. Bye sweetie," Castle called as Alexis gave a small wave and returned to her room.

"Shall we go detective?" Castle said, grabbing his jacket from where it hung.

"You don't have to come along you know. I would understand if you wanted to spend some time with Alexis," Kate said. Reluctant though she was to go to the crime scene without him it really wasn't fair for her to monopolise his time like this - not when his daughter was barely back in town.

Rick looked at her for a moment before replying. "Thank you for thinking of that but there will be plenty of time for me to spend with Alexis before she goes off to college. I'd like to come along - if you want me too of course."

"Of course I want you there Castle, I just want you to know that it's ok for you to spend time with your daughter - this is my job after all, not yours."

"Well not directly," Castle said as they left his apartment and headed towards his building's elevator. "But I never know when one of our cases will spawn an idea or set Nikki and Rook down a different path."

"You just don't want to feel like you've been left out of anything," Kate said as she pushed the button to call the lift to Castle's floor.

"Well, that's true as well," Castle said without a trace of embarrassment.

They rode the elevator in a comfortable silence which Kate was at first happy with as it allowed her to get her head into 'cop' mode. But she got a little concerned as the silence continued all the way from his building to where she'd parked her car. She glanced over at her partner, intending to rib him over his lack of chatter but she was surprised to see a deep furrow in his brow and the inward look of someone lost deep in thought.

"Spill Castle," Kate said eventually after they'd reached her car and she'd pulled out into traffic. She could only take his unusual silence for so long without wanting to know what was occupying so much of his attention.

"What?" Castle replied, his eyes re-focusing on the here and now.

"Something's obviously bothering you...you don't normally think that hard unless you're in some kind of trouble - or you're worried about Alexis."

"Me? Trouble? I don't know when you would ever have seen me in trouble detective," Castle replied but his riposte was half-hearted and he gave up at her stern look of reproach. "Ok, fine. I was wondering what we were going to tell the guys, and Lanie, about your...ah...temporary living arrangements."

"Tell them? Why should we tell them anything?" Kate replied. She'd barely had time to get used to the fact that she would be spending the next couple of weeks living with Castle, let alone consider what her colleagues would make of it. She couldn't see any obvious reason why they should be told at all!

"Yeah, that's what I thought but then...look Kate, I'll go along with whatever you want but hear me out on this ok?"

Kate took a right turn before nodding once in acceptance. He'd obviously thought of something about their situation which was bothering him and it couldn't hurt to hear what he had to say...she could always tell him he was being stupid.

"I too thought that we could simply not mention it, you know, just carry on as normal. But then I thought that it would be really hard not to say something casually that would give the game away. The guys _are_ detectives after all, not as good as you of course, but they are trained to pick up on inconsistencies. I can see us sitting there over lunch and just casually mentioning something about the previous evening, or something about Alexis, or, well just something that will make them suspicious."

"I think we could survive a couple of weeks Castle," Kate said dryly. "Or at least I can. Anyway, they can be as suspicious as they want, doesn't mean we have to confirm anything. I _am_ only staying in your spare room for a few days to keep Meredith off your back...it's not like we've moved in together or anything!"

"Two weeks is a long time to keep this between just us Kate and the problem with this type of thing is that it just slips out when you least expect it. And how bad would that look? If we actively tried to conceal this from the guys then let something slip absolutely _nothing_ we say after that will convince them there isn't more to the story. You know better than anyone what being caught out in a lie does to someone's credibility."

Kate worried her bottom lip in her teeth as she considered what Castle was saying. He had a point. As a cop she'd caught out too many suspects, too many witnesses for that matter, in a lie which had destroyed their credibility, even if that lie was a harmless one unrelated to the case. If someone was proven to be willing to conceal one thing with a lie then what else were they hiding? That was the inevitable question that every good cop asked and Ryan and Esposito were certainly good enough cops to be asking that question.

"And then I thought," Castle continued. "What if you and I _could_ pull it off for a couple of weeks...it would be tough but we could do it, with concentration and planning. But then what about other variables outside of our control? What about Alexis? I'm sure she would agree to keep it to herself if we asked her but I know she wants to see Lanie before she goes off to college and so there will be pressure on her to keep our story straight - and we won't be around to cover for anything she might let slip."

"Castle, I really don't want to tell everyone that I'm staying at your place," Kate said, fighting the urge to start hyper-ventilating.

"I know, I know. And I'd be willing to chance it if it was just you, me and Alexis. But then...but then I thought about Meredith," he said.

"Meredith? What's she got to do with telling people where I'm staying?"

"She turned up at the precinct out of the blue the last time she was here Kate," Castle said quietly.

Kate's mind flitted back to the only time she'd met Castle's first wife before today. She _had_ bluffed and bulldozed her way unannounced into the precinct that day. Godammit he was right! Castle's ex-wife was proving to be a real pain in the ass! She'd had to give up her apartment because that woman might turn up out of the blue at Castle's loft at any time and now it seemed like she wouldn't even be able to keep that fact to herself because she could pitch up at the station at any time! Brilliant! Perfect!

"Bloody woman," Kate grated as she took another turn and saw the flashing blue lights of patrol cars which indicated they'd reached their scene.

"I'm sorry Kate," Castle said miserably. "If you want to call it off and go home you just have to say the word, I certainly won't try to stop you or blame you. And if you want to keep this between us I'll play along...it is the very least I can do. Alexis will back us up; she knows how much you value your privacy."

Kate pulled her car over and killed the ignition. She rested her hear against the steering wheel as she tried to gather her thoughts. Castle was right. As much as she hated to admit it his logic was sound. She'd committed herself to this. It had been _her_ idea to go with him to the airport, not Castle's. And it had been _her_ brilliant idea to lie about her apartment block being refurbished. She had no one else to blame for this insanity but herself. Castle hadn't forced her to do anything - he was simply pointing out the holes in her spur of the moment plans that she _really_ should have considered before opening her big mouth. She could stop any time, return to her apartment and let Castle deal with his ex-wife by himself - he was certainly capable of doing so. But that would be like admitting defeat and she never gave in that easily! And she certainly wasn't going to let Meredith of all people get such an easy victory over her. No, she had committed to doing this and she had to see it through to the end, no matter what the price.

Kate lifted her head to meet the worried looking gaze of her partner. He really would follow whatever path she chose; she could see it in his eyes. Kate sighed, God, the things we do for those we...

"Fine," Kate said quickly, not wanting to finish that particular thought.

"Fine?" Castle asked nervously.

"Fine, we'll tell them. We'll tell them I'm staying there to protect your virtue from your predatory ex-wife. And we'll make it _absolutely_ clear that I'm staying in your spare room and Alexis will be there, got it?"

"Of course Kate, whatever you want. I don't know how to thank you for this, I really don't. But when this is all over you can name you price. Anything, it's yours."

"Careful Castle," Kate said as she got out of the car. "I may just hold you to that!"

"Whatever you want Kate, it'll be worth it," Castle said as he walked beside her towards their crime scene.

Kate stopped at the yellow tape to flash her badge. The uniform nodded and she signed herself and Castle into the scene. As they ducked under the tape Kate stopped and turned back towards her partner.

"Let me tell them when I'm ready too ok?"

"Of course," Castle agreed.

"And under no circumstances are you to mention this to anyone until I've had a chance to talk to Lanie first. She will jump to all sorts of the wrong conclusions unless I talk to her and explain all of the circumstances!"

* * *

Rick followed Kate into the apartment block wondering if this was real or if he was stuck in some hyper-realistic dream. He was still struggling to comprehend how events had led to Kate staying with him at the loft, how the unexpected appearance of his ex-wife had acted as some kind of catalyst to change the stalemate of their relationship. Only 2 days ago he'd been deliriously happy that Kate had stayed for one night at his place after falling asleep on his shoulder. Now she was going to be there for several days! It truly was unbelievable. He shook his head to clear those thoughts - there would be time enough later to reflect on these turn of events. They had a crime scene and a body to deal with and their victim deserved his full attention.

Rick entered their vic's apartment one step behind Kate and wandered off round the room as he listened to her fire a few quick questions at Esposito, who had approached as soon as they'd walked in. He certainly hadn't exaggerated when he said that the apartment had been tossed, this room was a mess! Pictures had been torn off the walls and the floor was littered with all sorts of stuff, presumably discarded as their killer ransacked the apartment.

"So, our vic was shot in her bedroom?" Rick heard Kate ask Esposito as he finished his quick tour around the room.

"Yeah. That's been turned over too, _after_ she was shot."

"How do you know that?" Rick asked.

"There's stuff lying on top of her blood pool," Esposito said shrugging.

"Right, and if it's on top..."

"...then she must have been bleeding before it was dumped on the floor," Esposito finished. "Glad you've learned something after all these years bro. Lanie's in there now," he said nodding towards a doorway which presumably led into the vic's bedroom.

"Lanie," Kate whispered to herself before straightening slightly. Rick was sure that nobody else would have noticed but he could tell that the mention of the M.E. had reminded Kate of their recent conversation - and what she would have to tell her good friend at some point. "The body was found by her boyfriend?" Kate asked Esposito, her momentary distraction banished as she was once again all business.

"Yeah, Simon Peters. Ryan's with him now in the apartment opposite. He seems to be really cut-up over the death of his girlfriend so we thought it best to get him out of here."

"Do we know why he wasn't here?"

"Says he was at a bachelor party and stayed with a friend. We'll check that out of course."

"Good. Castle and I will go have a word with Lanie. Go grab Ryan and we'll meet back here in five."

Esposito nodded and headed out of the apartment as Kate strode towards the door he'd indicated, Rick close on her heals. The bedroom beyond the door was crowded with CSU techs but as always the first thing to hit him was the over-whelming smell of blood and other, even less pleasant, odours which he'd come to associate with death. Lanie was, as always, in the middle of it standing close by the body, taking down notes in her meticulous handwriting. She glanced up as they entered and smiled a greeting at them.

"Kate, Castle, glad you could make it," she said.

Rick paused to look carefully at the M.E.'s expression, trying to determine whether that was just a casual greeting or a subtle reference to their late arrival at the previous scene. He could read nothing on her face - she didn't play poker, which Rick thought was probably a good thing for him and the guys as she had one hell of a poker face when she wanted.

"What have we got Lanie?" Kate asked, ignoring the subtext in the M.E.'s words, if indeed she'd heard any there at all.

"Two G.S.W.'s," Lanie replied. "Smallish calibre. One in the chest, the other in the head. Judging by the depth of the wounds the one in the chest was first, from a distance, whereas the headshot was close range. Whoever did this wanted to be certain this poor girl wouldn't survive."

Kate nodded and leant forward to take a closer look at their vic. As Lanie turned towards one of the CSU's Rick took the opportunity to move to Kate's side and also lean in for a closer look, carefully holding his breath first to prevent himself from gagging. Their vic had been a beautiful woman, in her mid-twenties if he was any judge, with her whole life ahead of her - a life which had now been cruelly taken from her in a sudden, brutal way. As always it was a reminder to him how precious and tenuous life was. He could imagine her going to bed last night with no more worries than whether her boyfriend would be ok at the bachelor's party, or perhaps wondering what he was getting up to. Either way she certainly wouldn't have considered for a moment that she would never find out, that her time on this earth was just about to come to an end.

It was so sad that someone so young could have their life ripped away from them like this. Rick looked up and met Kate's eyes. He could see a look of understanding in those beautiful eyes of hers as her thoughts seemed to mirror his. It was at times like this that he could feel his love for this woman bubble ever more closely to the surface as he was confronted with the frailty of life. She'd almost been taken from him last year in not too dissimilar circumstances and he didn't know how much longer he could carry on living without telling her exactly how he felt. He half opened his mouth to say something right then and there but Kate beat him to it.

"We'll find out who did this Castle," she said quietly, briefly squeezing his hand with hers before straightening up from the body and turning back towards Lanie.

Rick closed his mouth with a snap. The moment between them had passed once again and he silently cursed himself for letting his emotions get the better of him. It really wasn't a great idea to tell the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with that he loved her whist standing over the recently deceased body of a young woman. Real romantic Rick! He lifted his hand to look at it. He could still feel the tingle the brief moment of her touch had caused and he gently traced his palm with his fingers, wishing more than ever that her hand still rested there in his.

It took him a moment or two to compose himself but when he straightened up he saw Kate quietly talking with the Lanie, asking her when she expected to be ready with her preliminary findings. It appeared that Lanie had missed the brief exchange between them, or if she had seen it she was choosing to ignore it. Kate made arrangements to meet with the M.E. later that day before nodding towards the door. Rick picked up on her signal and hastily said his goodbyes - remembering to pass on his daughter's best wishes before hurrying out of the room to catch Kate up. He found her just outside the bedroom door, standing with Esposito and Ryan.

"So, what have you learned so far?" Kate asked as he approached the group. Ryan gave him a quick nod in greeting before replying in his slight Irish drawl.

"Nothing much. Both Sarah and her boyfriend are paralegals working in the city. Both come from reasonably well-to-do backgrounds but according to the boyfriend neither family is particularly wealthy and they were just 'getting by' so money doesn't seem to be much of a motive at the moment. Simon was supposedly at a bachelor's party all night - I've got the name of the groom to be and a couple of other guests along with a list of the venues they attended - as best as Simon can remember them anyway. Once we're done here we'll check those out to see if his alibi stacks up. Has Lanie given us a time of death yet?"

"She's estimating between one and three am," Kate replied. Ryan and Esposito both noted that down - Rick had learned early on the paramount importance of the timeline to their investigations. Placing suspects and witnesses in places at known, verifiable times was all important in working out who was telling the truth...and who had more to tell."

"We'll concentrate on those times then," Ryan said. "Simon says their relationship was a happy one - they were planning on getting married next year. I had a quick word with the neighbour and he backed that up, saying they seemed like a happy couple, very much in love." Ryan didn't say anything further but they all knew they would also be checking that out, seeing if the surface image of a happy young couple was exactly that. Greed, love and jealousy were sadly three of the most common causes of murder.

"Ok. Get on to checking out Simon's alibi then head back to the precinct. Castle and I will talk to the boyfriend before heading there ourselves. By the time you get back we will hopefully have got the ball rolling on getting hold of financial and phone records. Do we know if there's any CCTV around here?"

"A couple of traffic cams and an ATM," Esposito answered. I've already put a call in to get the traffic cam footage - as always the ATM video will take much longer."

Kate grimaced but nodded, anything to do with banks and money always took times. The guys said their goodbyes and headed out of the apartment whilst Kate took one last long look around the trashed room before looking over at him. "You ready?" she asked.

"As it's possible to be," Rick replied.

Talking to the loved ones of victims was never easy and something which he hated having to do. He'd seen plenty of different reactions over the past couple of years; ranging from disbelief, shock and anger all the way through to a complete breakdown. Kate took a moment to gather herself before turning on her heel and heading over to the neighbouring apartment where Ryan had left their vic's boyfriend in the care of a uniform. As they entered the apartment's main room Rick saw a young man sat hunched on a couch, his head in his hands. He nodded at the uniform as they entered, recognising Officer Davis. She was often given this duty. Like Kate, she had that knack of being both caring and considerate to those who needed comfort but could be relied upon to be firm and solid if the grief of her charges turned out to be less than honest.

"Mr Peter's?" Kate said quietly as she took a seat opposite the young man, who nodded without looking up. As Rick took the seat next to Kate he could hear quiet sobs coming from the young man and his heart went out to him for the pain he must be feeling.

"I'm Detective Kate Beckett and this is my partner, Richard Castle. We are both truly sorry for your loss," Kate said, her own voice reflecting her understanding of this man's pain. "I know this is a very difficult time and that you've already spoken to Detective Ryan but I have some further questions for you if you feel up to it?"

The young man finally looked up and Rick saw his tear streaked face for the first time. He'd seen enough fake emotional responses in the past few years to be wary of such things but his initial impressions were of a young man who was struggling to comprehend what had happened.

"I'll try," Simon said in a broken voice. "For Sarah..." he broke off, unable to contain another sob. Kate gave him some time to compose himself before continuing with her questions.

"I understand from Detective Ryan that you were out last night," Kate said gently.

Simon nodded. "Andre's bachelor's party, an old friend from college. I crashed at his place last night and come back home to find..." he tailed off and waved his hand in the direction of his apartment.

"And you and Ms Chambers worked together in the city?"

"For Steer, Dawes and Gleaves. I...I work in the criminal law dept. and Sarah works...worked in corporate. We met at an office Christmas party two years ago...corny I know but we hit it off straight away and have been together ever since. I don't know what I'm going to do with...without her," Simon managed, before breaking down in tears again. Esposito hadn't been exaggerating when he described Simon as pretty cut-up. It seemed fairly clear to Rick that they were unlikely to get much out of him at the moment and it seemed that Kate had come to the same conclusion.

"Just one final question for now Mr Peters. Were either you or Sarah working on anything which could have led to someone wanting to hurt her - a case perhaps?"

"N...no!" Simon protested around his sobs. "We're just paralegals; we just do the donkey work. Checking out previous cases for precedence, verifying facts. Nothing that could have led to...led to this!"

"Ok, thank you. I understand this is very difficult for you right now. Do you have anyone coming over to be with you?"

"My parents are coming in to the city," Simon said, once more lowering his head into his hands, "They...they should get here soon..."

"Ok, well Officer Davis here will look after you until they arrive. I promise you that we will do everything we can to find out what happened and to ensure Sarah's killers are brought to justice," Kate said rising from her chair.

Rick rose as well and stepped forward to briefly rest a hand on the young man's shoulder before he and Kate left the room.

"What do you think Castle?" Kate said as they made their way out of the apartment block.

"If he's faking it then he should win an Oscar. I know that loved ones are always the first suspects but my gut tells me that he had nothing to do with this."

"Mine too, although I've been proved wrong before. We'll see what Ryan and Esposito can dig up about his movements before I'll rule him out completely but I think we need to look elsewhere."

"You're thinking about their job aren't you?" Rick guessed as they headed back towards Kate's car, signing out of the crime scene on their way.

"Seems possible. They're both paralegals and despite what Simon said sometimes being involved in a legal case of any kind can sometimes almost be as dangerous as being a cop. That apartment was not trashed for fun; they were definitely looking for something."

"And they wanted Sarah dead," Rick added as they got into Kate's car and buckled up. "That suggests whoever did this not only thought she might have something they desperately wanted but also that she might also know something which they didn't want any possibility of her sharing."

"My thoughts exactly," Kate agreed as she pulled away. "Let's get back to the precinct and see what we can find out about their law firm. It could be that Sarah was involved in something, perhaps unknowingly, that got her killed."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - I might end up revising the wording for this one as I'm not all that happy with it, but after several days tieing myself in knots trying to get it right I've decided just to let it go as-is. Anyway, as always I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly after Kate and Castle arrived back to the precinct. She got stuck into filing the appropriate requests for financial and phone records, a routine but tedious and time-consuming task, whilst she got Castle looking into Steer, Dawes and Gleaves. She'd developed a healthy respect for Castle's researching ability over the years (not that she would tell him that!) so she knew she could rely on him to sift through the reams of available data to identify anything which might prove useful or pertinent to their case. The two of them worked in virtual silence at their individual tasks, pausing only to exchange the occasional word or question, and the afternoon flew past so that it seemed in no time they were joined by Esposito and Ryan. Realising this was a good opportunity to pause and pool what they'd individually learned Kate let the boys pause only long enough to grab a drink from the break room before she gathered her team in front of an empty murder board.

"So," Kate said, after drawing out a timeline and marking out Lanie's estimated time of death under a DMV photo of Sarah she'd printed an hour or so earlier. "Lanie thinks our vic died sometime between one and three am last night, although hopefully she might be able to narrow that down a bit after she's completed her autopsy. The boyfriend," Kate put up a second DMV picture, this time of Simon, under a heading of 'Person of Interest', "claims to have been out all night at a bachelor party."

"Andre Williams, the groom to be," Ryan supplied looking down at his notes. Kate added the name to the board. "We spoke to him and he confirmed Simon was with him and a group of friends last night, crashing at his place and leaving around 10 this morning."

"Which allowing for travel time ties up well with when dispatch recorded his 911 call," Esposito put in.

"So his alibi is looking good," Castle said. "I can't say I'm surprised."

"Fairly solid," Ryan agreed. "Although Andre confirmed they'd all had plenty to drink last night so whilst he is convinced Simon didn't left the party at any time when we pressed him he had to admit he couldn't be completely sure Simon hadn't slipped out at some point. He gave us names of the other guests and he also provided copies of photos he'd taken on his phone." Ryan held up an evidence bag containing a memory card. "I'll take a look through them to see if there's any with Simon in and what the timestamps tell us."

"He also confirmed the bars and clubs they visited last night so we'll check those out," Esposito added. "A bachelor's party always draws attention so we should hopefully get some good un-biased confirmation as to exactly when and where they were."

"Great," Kate said. "If we can independently verify that Simon was at the party during our time window then we can pretty much rule him out." She made a few notes on the board to summarise the boys' findings to date. "Anything else?"

"No, that's about it," Esposito answered after a quick look across at Ryan for confirmation.

"Ok. Well I've contacted Sarah's cell operator and sent them the forms - we should have the records by tomorrow morning. I've also put a request in for her financials but we all know those will take longer. Castle," Kate said, turning to her partner. "What have you found out so far about the law firm that they both work for?"

"Ah, the wonderfully named Steer, Dawes and Gleaves," Castle said, lifting a notepad covered in his flowing handwriting. "Well it turns out that SDG are quite the over-achievers in their field. It seems they have their fingers in many, many pies but their main business is in the area of corporate law - Simon's department you'll recall. It seems like they've been involved, in one way or another, in pretty much every business deal of note in the last 25 years. Always low profile so ordinary folks like us would never know they existed, but somehow they seem to somehow always be critical to the process and walk away with a hefty slice of the action. Just one of these deals can earn the firm more money than I got for the entire Derrick Storm series!"

"Someone makes more money than you do Castle? No way!" Esposito said, feigning shock at the very thought.

"Believe me; by comparison to these guys I'm a pauper!"

"So they make a lot of money," Kate interjected not wanting them to get off-topic. "Did you find anything else?"

"I was just getting to the interesting bit," Castle said. "Whilst the bulk of their work, and not inconsiderable income, comes from these corporate deals they do have interests in other forms of law. Small in comparison to their corporate work but from what I've read they've been growing their interests in criminal law recently and becoming involved in higher profile cases. From what I've got access too I wasn't able to tie our vic to any particular case but I was able to discover that SDG have recently been involved in some major organised crime cases and may well have crossed paths with a few of the more...powerful crime lords."

"You're suggesting Sarah's murder was a mob hit?" Kate asked. Normally she'd scoff at such a theory from Castle but she'd had a hunch from what she'd seen at the scene that this was a professional job. The kill had been quick, clean and efficient and it spoke very loudly to Kate of a well practised hand.

"I certainly think it's a possibility. SDG might have pissed off some very serious people; although how that would have led to Sarah being targeted I don't know. Even I will admit it's pretty thin but I think it's at least worth checking out."

"I agree," Kate said. "Whoever did this knew what they were doing and they were definitely looking for something in Sarah's apartment. I don't know whether they found it or not but I think if we can find out what they were looking for then we'll be a long way towards finding our killer." She glanced down at her watch; Lanie's should have some more information for her by now. "We probably won't be able to do too much on the SDG angle until Monday though so let's focus our attention on the basics for now. Ryan, Esposito, see if you can confirm Simon's alibi and then call it a day. Hopefully we'll have the phone records by the morning and we can start looking through them, see of anything pops. Castle and I will head over to the morgue; see what Lanie's got for us. We'll see you back here early tomorrow."

"Boss," Esposito said in agreement whilst Ryan just nodded in acknowledgement as the two detectives moved away towards their respective desks.

Kate took another look at the still mainly empty murder board. 'What were you into Sarah?' she mused. 'What did you do that might have caught the attention of the mob? Did you even know how much danger your life was in?' Kate sighed, all good questions but not ones she could answer right now. She turned away from the board to retrieve her jacket only to find that Castle was already standing by her desk holding her coat out for her. She cocked an eyebrow at him but said nothing as she let him help her into the garment. She grabbed her gun from her desk and tossed a quick 'see you tomorrow' over her shoulder to the guys before heading towards the elevator with Castle in tow.

"Are you planning on coming back to the precinct after our trip to the morgue?" Castle asked as they stepped out of the elevator and headed over to Kate's car.

"No," Kate replied. "I doubt Lanie's going to be able give us too much at this stage. You know she'll still be waiting on the results of most of her tests. We'll be better off starting afresh tomorrow when more evidence starts to come in, why?"

"I thought I'd give Alexis a call, let her know that we'll be heading back home soon," Castle said with a shrug, pulling his cell from his pocket.

Kate stopped suddenly at his words, the sudden reminder of her temporary living arrangements freezing her where she stood. She'd been so distracted by the case she'd completely forgotten about the events of the morning and her promise to Castle to tell Lanie and the boys exactly where she would be spending the next fortnight. How could something like that just slip from her mind!

"Kate?" Castle asked in concern, looking up from his phone after bumping in to her.

"Ummm...actually I think it would be better if I went to see Lanie by myself this time Castle. Why don't you head back to your loft and I'll see you there later? I'm sure Alexis will be glad to see you, it's her first day back home after all, and I've kept you away from her long enough already."

"Go back home?" Castle said, sounding confused.

"Yes, you know, the place where you live with your daughter? I can go see Lanie and tell you later if she has anything of interest to the case."

"You want to see Lanie without me?" Castle said, and Kate could hear the uncertainty in his voice at her sudden change of plans.

"Yes Castle. You do know that I'm capable of talking to Lanie without you right?" Kate said, unable to suppress a sudden surge of irritation. "I did manage to do my job perfectly well for years without you following me every step of the way!" Couldn't he see that she needed to talk to Lanie about what had happened by herself? He'd somehow managed to convince her that she had to stay at his place after her stupid lie to Meredith _and _that they should tell every one of the results of her foolishness - just on the off-chance Meredith might turn up at the precinct. Surely he could see that telling Lanie was something she needed to do alone, without him breathing down her neck!?

"I...of course I know...I just thought that..." Castle stuttered. "You said to the guys we'd both go see her..."

"I know what I said," Kate snapped, her anger at putting herself in this position suddenly boiling over. She turned away from him and stalked over to where her car was parked, trying to regain control of her emotions. She knew it wasn't fair to take her anger out on him like that but she'd been caught a little off-guard by the reminder of her temporary living situation and everything which had led up to it.

"Kate," Castle said gently, coming up to stand beside her and placing one hand on her shoulder so that he could turn her towards him. Kate reluctantly allowed herself to be turned and she looked up to meet his concerned gaze. "You know that I meant what I said earlier today, you can go home any time and I won't try to stop you or convince you to stay. You will always be welcome in my home but I never want you to feel like you _have_ to be there."

"Castle...Rick...I know. That's not why..." Kate paused to compose herself and tried again. "I know you're not forcing me to stay - it was my choice to lie to Meredith, not yours. It's just...look, I just need to talk to Lanie alone about this ok?"

"Kate, if you're having second thoughts..."

"No. You were right earlier on; telling Lanie and the guys is the right thing to do. Just let me talk to Lanie about this by myself first alright?" Kate pleaded, hoping he would understand.

"Of course Kate, if that's what you want. I just want you to be comfortable with the situation, that's all."

"It may take a little while for me to be 'comfortable' living in your spare room Castle," Kate said. "But whilst it may take a bit of getting used to I said I would stay and I mean to see it through," Kate paused, suddenly struck by a thought that made her feel strangely cold inside. "Unless you don't want me there of course?"

"Of course I want you there!" Castle protested. "Uh...I mean that I will be very happy for you to be there, in case of Meredith you know."

They stood there staring at each other for what seemed an eternity until Kate become conscious of Castle's thumb gently stroking her shoulder where his hand still rested. As she became aware of the seemingly unconscious but very gentle caress she had to suppress a shiver of pleasure that his touch was sending down her spine. She stepped back and turned away from him so that he couldn't see the quickening of her breath or the blush she knew would betray her.

"Ok," Castle said after a moment, his voice sounding a little husky. "I'll...I'll grab a cab and let you go have some girl time with Lanie. Just...just hang on one minute first ok?" There was a rustling and a short pause before Kate heard him say 'Hi Alexis'. She turned to see that he had retrieved his cell and stood with it to one ear. "I was just checking you're at home?" He continued into the phone. He paused, evidently listening to her response. "Ok, excellent. I'm just about to head back...No, Kate will be about an hour or so behind me...What? No, I haven't upset her...Alexis, I promise she's fine, look she's here with me right now," Castle said, pulling his cell away from his ear and holding it out to Kate. "Here, you tell her!"

Kate looked at him for a long moment before leaning in to speak into the phone. "Hi Alexis,"

"Hi Kate," came the light tones of Castle's daughter. "What has Dad done this time? He hasn't done something stupid already has he?" Kate smiled at Alexis' teasing tone and could almost see her shake her head in wry acceptance at her father's tendency towards trouble.

"Surprisingly no," Kate replied. "Well, no more than usual anyway. Actually, apart from being a little dense he's actually been almost bearable for a change."

Castle pulled the phone back from her before she could say anything more but not before she heard Alexis' laugh in response to her answer. "See, Kate's fine," he said in to the cell after childishly poking his tongue out at her. "She's just going to see Lanie first...She banned me from coming, something about wanting to have a girlie chat...I don't know, she probably just wants to tell her how wonderful a partner I am and doesn't want to embarrass me..."

Kate reached over and punched Castle in the arm, wonderful partner indeed!

"Ok fine," Castle continued into his phone, ignoring her punch. "Maybe they want to talk about something else. I'll be home in about half an hour...Yeah, that sounds great...Ok, see you soon. Bye sweetie." Castle hung up and pocketed his phone. He rubbed the arm where she had punched him. "That hurt," he said with a fake pout.

"I'm sure you'll live," Kate replied.

"It'll help if you kiss it better..."

"Only in your dreams Castle," Kate replied.

"You have no idea!" Castle said, causing Kate to roll her eyes at him. He fished around in a pocket and brought out a set of keys. He quickly searched through and worked one of them off the key ring. "Here," he said handing it to her.

"What's this for?" Kate asked suspiciously.

"It's my key to the loft. I didn't think to bring a spare out with me."

"Why do I need a key to your apartment?"

"If you're going to be living with us for a few days I want you to feel like you can come and go as you please. When you get back later I'll swap it for a spare but for today you can use it to let yourself in when you finish up with Lanie."

"Castle, I don't need a key to your place!" Kate protested, suddenly feeling like this was a really big deal. She'd been with Josh for almost a year and never had a key to his place! Having a key...well that's what you did when you lived with someone, really lived with them not just stayed in their spare room for a few days! "You'll be in when I get back," she continued trying to hand the suddenly heavy feeling key back to him. Castle shook his head and held his hands up.

"Please Kate, take the key. I'd feel better knowing you have it."

"Castle..."

"Just humour me Kate. I really want you to feel that whilst you're staying at my place you can come and go whenever you want. I want you to feel at home whilst you're there. Please," Castle pleaded.

Kate looked at her partner and despite his time she recognised the stubborn set of his jaw which told her he was not going to budge on this. Wondering if it was a big mistake to do so (having a key to his apartment really did feel decidedly more intimate than she felt comfortable with) she slowly let her hand fall to her side.

"Thank you," Castle said as she slipped his key into her pocket without a word. "Alexis is cooking lasagne for dinner...believe me, it will be the best you've ever tasted! There will be plenty but don't feel you have any obligation. Go, talk to Lanie and come over only when you're ready, ok?"

Kate nodded, unable to think of anything else to say. She was still reeling from accepting the key to his place and didn't trust herself to speak. The gesture, which he no doubt meant just to be practical, felt ridiculously symbolic to her. It felt like his offer, and her acceptance, of the key had breached an invisible, unspoken barrier between them and just solidified the nagging feeling she'd had over the past couple of days that something was changing. If one barrier could fall, albeit a barrier she'd not even known existed until it was gone, what other things would change over the next couple of weeks?

"Ok, well I'll see you later," Castle said after a few moments when it became obvious that she wasn't going to reply. He hesitated a moment or two more before turning and walking away, presumably to find a cab.

Kate watched him walk away, her mind still a jumble of thoughts and emotions. She simultaneously wanted to run over to him and demand he take his key back and tell him that she was going to go back home where she belonged whilst at the same time she wanted to hug him and tell him just how much this simple, unconscious, gesture meant to her. He got about 50 yards away when she gave up making any kind of sense of what was going on in her head.

"Castle," Kate called. He paused and turned back to look at her. "I'll...I'll see you at the loft, in an hour or so," she said.

Castle smiled at her and gave a wave of acknowledgement before continuing to walk away from her. Kate stood and watched until he turned a corner and disappeared from view. She reached into her pocket and traced the outline of his key with her fingertips, gently caressing the ridges and bumps as her mind tried to make sense of her conflicting thoughts and emotions.

* * *

The drive over to the morgue went quicker than at any time Kate could remember as the events of the last few days kept playing and replaying in her mind; a mixed blur of mild panic and impulsive decision making which was somehow changing the very fabric of her life. This had all started with her parent's anniversary and her falling asleep against Castle's shoulder. That had been out of character enough for her but allowing him to convince her to stay at the loft that night? Volunteering to accompany him to the airport when she'd heard Meredith was coming back to town? And, of course, making up that ridiculous story about staying at Castle's just to keep his ex-wife away from him! None of it made much sense to her yet somehow she had to tell Lanie where she'd be spending the next two weeks and why!

Kate entered the familiar examination room at the OCME expecting to see Lanie hovering over the body of their vic. Sure enough, Sarah's body lay on an examination table in the centre of the room, covered to her chest but her face clearly visible and recognisable to Kate, but there was no sign of Lanie or indeed any other living soul. Instruments lay in their usual places, neatly lined up in trays on benches along the walls. Machines whirled and a clock ticked loudly in a corner (which she'd never even noticed before) but there was no sign of anyone other than Sarah, and she didn't really count. Despite her many visits here Kate suddenly found herself feeling really creeped out by being in this room alone and found herself wishing that Castle was still by her side.

"Lanie?" She called tentatively, trying to ignore the slight tremor in her voice.

"Kate?" Lanie's voice floated back from behind a closed door. "I'll be right out, just let me finish up in here."

Kate let out a small sigh of relief at the sound of her friend's voice, very glad to hear her familiar tones. That sensation of relief only lasted a moment as Lanie suddenly called out again: "And Castle, if I come out there and find out you've touched anything you might just find yourself becoming my next resident!"

Kate's mouth opened in surprise at the M.E.'s words. She obviously assumed Castle would be there with her! And of course she'd normally be right. This was probably the first time in a long time she'd been here without Castle in tow, as with so much of her life it seemed everything she did either involved or lead back the writer. It was hard for her to remember a time when he wasn't there and if she was honest with herself she really didn't want to. She wandered further into the room, walking over to the body of their vic to try and take her mind off the nagging sensation that something, or more accurately someone, was missing.

As she'd done back at the apartment, she looked down at Sarah's young and now abnormally pale features. Any untimely death was tragic and as a homicide cop she'd seen more than her fair share of dead bodies. But the death of a young woman who had no doubt looking forward to her wedding and forging a life for herself with Simon, a life which would likely have involved having children of her own, felt like such a huge waste. She recalled the compassion she'd seen in Castle's eyes, the same compassion she herself felt at the senselessness of it all.

Lost in these thoughts Kate didn't hear Lanie enter the room so she jumped in shock when the M.E. suddenly said, 'Sad isn't it?' from right behind her. She whirled around with one hand automatically coming up to cover her chest as her heartbeat sky-rocketed.

"God Lanie, you scared the hell out of me!" Kate gasped as she gripped the side of the examination table to steady her legs.

"Sorry," Lanie said with a smile on her face which told of her amusement at Kate's reaction. "Didn't mean to make you jump." Lanie looked around and turned back to Kate with a puzzled look on her face. "Where's Castle?" She asked.

"He's...he's not here," Kate managed, hoping that Lanie would not pick up on her slight hesitation. "It's Alexis' first day back from LA and I sent him home to spend some quality time with his daughter."

"And he let you do that?" Lanie asked sceptically.

"Of course - why wouldn't he? I promised him I'd fill him in on whatever you've got from us - he doesn't need to be here first hand to hear it."

"Uh-huh,' Lanie replied, her tone indicating disbelief at Kate's words.

"So what _have_ you got?" Kate asked quickly, trying to keep Lanie from asking any more questions about Castle's whereabouts. Lanie looked at her for a long moment, obviously not fooled by Kate's transparent attempts to change the subject, but she eventually turned away without asking any more questions and picked up a chart from beside the examination table.

"Well as you would expect at this early stage, I've not got too much more than I had at the scene. I have removed the two bullets, as best I can. They pretty much disintegrated on entry making a fair mess of our poor girl's insides as they broke up. I've sent the pieces off for specialist analysis but my best guess at this point is that they're 9mm."

"Small calibre, just as you thought," Kate mused.

"Most likely a handgun," Lanie agreed. "Wouldn't have made much noise so might easily have been passed off as a car backfiring by those that heard the shots."

"Which would account for why no-one reported the shooting and why our killer was able to take his time to ransack her apartment before leaving," Kate added.

"Cool, and very cold," Lanie agreed.

"That's what Castle and I thought...seems more like a professional job than some random shooting," Kate said, looking down at the body.

"Ummm," Lanie agreed. "Maybe. I managed to lift some prints and fibres from her body which I've also sent off for analysis - they may be from our killer but could just as easily be nothing."

"My bet's on the latter. From what we've seen so far whoever killed Sarah knew what they were doing and would be unlikely to leave behind any trace evidence. Anything else?"

"Not that's likely to prove useful to the case. I've been able to determine that apart from the damage caused by the disintegrating bullets Sarah seemed to have been in good health, with no sign of heart disease or any other obvious ailment. I've sent blood off for analysis of course but don't be surprised if it comes back clean. As far as I can tell she would have gone on to live a normal, healthy life for many, many years to come."

Kate shook her head, "As you said, so very sad. You'll send the findings of the tox screen over?"

"Of course, as soon as they come in."

"Right, good," Kate said. She stood there at a loss as to what to say next. She knew that she still hadn't brought up the thorny topic of her living arrangements with Castle but she had no idea how to casually introduce _that _particular piece of news into the conversation. Fortunately she was saved the trouble of doing so by Lanie putting the chart down and folding her arms across her chest in a stance Kate knew well.

"Right," Lanie said. "Now that's the business taken care of are you going to tell me the real reason why Castle isn't here with you? And don't give me any BS about him going home to spend time with Alexis. I know for a fact she's going to be in town for two more weeks so they'll be plenty of opportunities for them to spend time together. Spill Kate, I know you well enough to know that something's bothering you. Did you two have a fight?"

"What?" Kate said, acting dumb and playing for time.

"Did you and Castle have an ar...gu...ment," Lanie said, emphasising the final word.

"No, of course not. We're fine," Kate replied. She stepped away from the examination table and walked the couple of paces it took her to reach one of the workbenches which stretched across the length of the room. She idly picked up one of the utensils which lay on the tray, not really looking at what she held but feeling a need to hold something.

"Then what is it, Kate?" Lanie asked, coming up behind her and gently removing the, rather sharp Kate suddenly noticed, object from her hands and laying it back down on the table. Kate idly noted that Lanie had not put the implement back on its tray, instead laying it to one side. She'd picked it up without gloves on and no doubt it would have to be sterilised again before it could be used. "Something's obviously bothering you and it doesn't take a genius to work out that it's something to do with Castle - the very lack of his presence here screams that out louder than any words."

Kate covered her head in her hands. Turning up without Castle had seemed a good idea at the time but she hadn't foreseen that his not being here would be enough for Lanie to know something was up and to ask questions. This was it, the time had come to confess and there was no way out.

"Promise you won't laugh," Kate said, lifting her head from her hands and turning to face her best friend.

"Of course not!" Lanie protested indignantly.

"And you've got to swear to hear me out to the end without jumping to any conclusions?"

"Come on Kate, stop being so mysterious and just tell me already before I literally burst with curiosity!"

"Fine, but you've got to promise not to tell anyone - not even Esposito!"

"Why would I tell Javi...?" Lanie started to protest before stopping mid-sentence and coughing awkwardly. "I mean, what has Esposito got to do with anything."

Kaye smiled to herself. This was going to be awkward for her but perhaps she wasn't alone in having secrets.

"We'll talk more about your on-off relationship with my detective sometime soon," Kate promised, causing Lanie to wince slightly at being caught out.

"Whatever," Lanie replied, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. "We were talking about you and Castle remember. You didn't sleep with him did you!?" the M.E. asked suddenly, her voice going up an octave or two.

"What! No, of course not! And for God's sake keep your voice down!"

"Shame," Lanie replied, moderating her tone so that it was closer to its normal volume. "Well what is it then? You're certainly acting weird enough."

"Fine, just remember you promised to hear me out?"

"Yes, yes, C'mon..." Lanie said, gesturing impatiently.

"Well, you know that Alexis has been staying with her mother in LA right?" Kate paused as Lanie nodded impatiently. "Well it seems the former Mrs Castle decided to act a little bit like a mother for a change and accompany Alexis back to New York, ostensibly spend some more time with her daughter before she goes off to college..."

"But you don't believe that do you?" Lanie interrupted

"No. I think you can probably guess the real reason why she's back in town," Kate said, unable to keep the slight tinge of anger out of her tone.

"Oh," Lanie said quietly. "Kate, honey...I'm sure that Castle doesn't want to...you know..."

"Oh, I know that he doesn't - he told me so himself at the same time he told me she was flying into New York. But you've heard the stories Castle tells about her..." or at least used to tell about her, Kate thought. Before this weekend it had been a one time since he'd mentioned Meredith except in relation to Alexis. "...so I...uh...kind of ended up volunteering to drive Castle to the airport, to pick Alexis up and to...uh...watch his back." She risked a glance up and saw Lanie staring at her with a knowing look in her eyes.

"Okaaay," Lanie said. "Unexpected but hardy enough to cause you to freak out like this. What else happened?"

"When she arrived she was all over Castle as-if they were still married! I mean all over, I had to practically force my way in between them before she even noticed I was there!"

"And you did all this because you're Castle's partner and that's what partner's do, right?"

"Right," Kate agreed, pleased that Lanie seemed to understand. "She said some things that, well, weren't all that polite but Castle dragged me and Alexis away before I could teach her some manners!" Kate slammed her hand down on the bench, narrowly missing one of the trays full of the sharp instruments of Lanie's trade. "Anyway, she seemed to come to her senses and apologised, blamed it on jet lag of all things! Against my better judgement I agreed to let her tag along back into the city with Castle and Alexis."

"You did? Why? I would have left her ass at the airport!"

"I was sorely tempted to, believe me! But I wanted to show her that I at least know what manners are and besides - it didn't seem fair on Alexis, she is the girl's mother after all."

"I'm not sure Alexis would have minded all that much Kate," Lanie said. "She doesn't talk about her mother much but I get the distinct impression she's not Alexis favourite person."

"Maybe, maybe not, but she's still her mother and..." Kate paused, unable to find the words to explain how much she would have given to have her own mother around - she'd been taken from her when she was not much older than Castle's daughter and she just hadn't been able to allow herself to leave Meredith behind. Alexis may struggle to understand her but nothing could change the fact that Meredith was her mother and that meant something precious in Kate's eyes.

"Anyway, we drove back into the city and Castle asked her what hotel she was staying in and...well she said that she would like to stay at the loft, to be 'close' to her daughter,"

"She didn't," Lanie gasped. Kate nodded.

"She actually implied it as a done deal, as-if it had all been arranged for months you know? You should have seen the look of horror on Castle's face." Kate paused in her retelling of this morning's events, knowing what was coming next and wanting to delay the moment as long as possible. Maybe someone would come in and free her of the task of finishing her story - she'd already told Lanie enough, hadn't she?

"So Castle's ex-wife is staying at his loft and you sent him home to what, be with her?" Lanie said in confusion. "Kate I know you and Castle have a...unique...kind of relationship, although I can't for the life of me figure out why you both just don't admit that you're perfect for each other and get it together like normal people. But sending him home to where you know his ex-wife is waiting with her own agenda..."

"Meredith's not there," Kate said quietly.

"But you said..."

"I said that she assumed that she could just stay with Castle whilst she was in town. But that isn't possible because...uh...his spare room is taken at the moment."

"Taken? Taken by whom? Kate, you're not making any sense."

"Taken by me, ok! Taken by me!" Kate said, pushing away from the bench and walking a few steps away. She turned back to see Lanie standing where she had left her, her mouth open and her eyes wide. "I lied to Meredith and told her that my apartment block was being refurbished and that Castle had generously let me use his spare room for a while until the renovations are complete."

"You...what...?" Lanie managed.

"It was a stupid thing to do; it just came out without thought." Kate pulled a chair over and dropped heavily in to it. "I don't know what came over me, what made me say it. One minute I was doing Castle a favour the next I'm telling his ex-wife I was staying at his place for the foreseeable future. And then after she'd gone Castle went and pointed out that I actually had to carry through with that lie 'cos Meredith was liable to turn up out of the blue at any time and it would look odd if I wasn't there! I don't know why I said what I did but I did and now...now I somehow find myself living at Castle's for the next two weeks! He even gave me a goddamn key! A key!" Kate stopped as she was conscious her voice was getting louder and starting to sound a little hysterical.

"Let me get this straight," Lanie said, dragging another chair over to sit in front of her. "You learnt that Castle's ex-wife was coming into town, an ex-wife with whom he's openly admitted to having sex with during previous visits. So on hearing this you go with Castle to the airport to, how did you put it, to have his back. And then after almost brawling with said ex-wife you tell an outright lie about staying at Castle's loft just so that you can, what, protect Castle from her ravishing him in the middle of the night?"

"Ravish...really? I wouldn't put it like that but..."

"And you really don't know why you did all that!?"

"Castle and I are just friends and partners, nothing more," Kate said, knowing what Lanie was hinting at and wanting to head her off at the pass.

"Kate, are you really going to sit there and tell me you feel _nothing_ more towards Castle other than just 'friendship?'"

"Yes! No! I don't know! We've been through so much together but...oh I don't know how to explain it!"

"I think you do you just don't want to admit it. So, you're going to go through with this? You're going to live with Castle..."

"Stay in his spare room," Kate interjected.

"Whatever, details," Lanie said, waving away Kate's protestations. "You're going to live with Castle for the next two weeks, yes?"

"In his spare room, yes," Kate reluctantly admitted.

"Hmmm...well good," Lanie said, leaning back and smiling broadly at her.

"Good!" Kate gasped in surprise. "That's what you've got to say - good!?"

"Yep. Honey, I don't care whatever reasons you tell yourself why you've ended up in this situation but frankly I think it will do you good. Plenty of opportunity for you and writer boy to spend some quality time together without a dead body getting in the way. Girl I'm hoping that it will finally allow you to see what's been right in front of your eyes all this time."

"Lanie, just because I'll be staying there doesn't mean anything! We spend most of each day together anyway; the only difference will be that we'll be sleeping under the same roof...in different beds!"

"Nuh-uh, working together and living together are two very different things...yes, yes I know 'you'll be staying in the spare room'," Lanie said, once more waving Kate to silence as she tried to correct her. "But you'll both see sides of each other that you wouldn't normally see. No, I definitely think this can only be good for you."

"You know, I really don't understand you most of the time," Kate said sulkily, shaking her head at her friend's predictions.

"Life would be boring if we all understood each other," Lanie replied with a smile.

Kate tried not too but after a moment she couldn't help but return Lanie's smile. Truth be told, now that she had told her about what had happened Kate felt as if a weight she hadn't even known was there had been lifted from her shoulders. Castle had been right, difficult as it had been telling Lanie about the mess she'd got herself in it was so much better than keeping it from her. Two weeks - yeah, it would just have got harder and harder each day to lie to their friends about this and telling them was the right thing to do. Kate resolved to have a word with Esposito and Ryan first thing tomorrow, get it out of the way so that they could put it behind them and concentrate on their case.

"Lanie, Castle and I are going to tell the guys about this as well. We agreed that it was better to tell you all rather than to try and conceal it. You're the first one I've told so can you please keep this to yourself - if you just happen to see Esposito tonight for some reason - until we've had chance to tell the guys ourselves."

Lanie nodded but had the decency to blush slightly as Kate gently reminded her that she was on to her and Esposito. Ever since Ryan's wedding she'd suspected that the former love-birds were perhaps trying again, albeit a little more discreetly this time, and Lanie's words and actions tonight just confirmed those suspicions. She was happy for them, they'd both been miserable since they'd split up and she hoped that this time they'd find a way to work it out.

"Thanks, I'll let you know when we've told them," Kate said, pushing the chair back and standing up. "We don't think it's worth telling anyone else so other than the guys can you please keep this to yourself? People already assume far too much about us as it is."

"Of course," Lanie said, also rising.

"Ok, well I guess I'll head home then...well, back to Castle's anyway. Apparently Alexis is making lasagne and it will be 'to die for' - it'll be strange having a home cooked meal I've not prepared myself but I guess that's at least one bonus of this crazy situation. You'll send the results over as soon as you get them?" Kate said, returning briefly to their case.

"Of course. You have a good night at Castle's, don't do anything I wouldn't do...or perhaps you should..."

"Lanie..." Kate warned.

"Fine, fine. But promise me one thing; if, after all this, you somehow find that you and Castle are...more than just friends I want to be the first to know!"

Kate sighed. "Fine, in the extremely unlikely event that something like that happens, which it won't, then I promise you'll be the first to know. Happy?"

"For now," Lanie replied with a smile. "Now get the hell out of my morgue and back home to that man of yours!"

Kate opened her mouth to protest but decided that it was pointless to rise to her friend's teasing. "I'll let you know if Alexis' lasagne is as great as Castle says it is," Kate replied, giving Lanie a smile and a wave as she pushed opened the doors and left her friend to her dead bodies. It wasn't perhaps the best passing shot in the world but it was the best she could come up with on the spot and would have to do. Besides, she was quite looking forward to finding out just how good Alexis' cooking really was.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Seven chapters now, which is six more than I ever expected to have for this story! And I still don't have a clear idea of how I'm going to get our favourite couple from A to B but I hope you're enjoying the journey as much as I'm enjoying creating it :-)**

**As always, please feel free to comment...  
**

* * *

Kate arrived at Castle's front door a little over half an hour after she'd left Lanie back at the OCME. The trip had passed quickly as she had once again become lost in thought over recent events and what the next couple of weeks might hold. The thought which had kept coming back more often than the others was what she was going to do when she arrived here - was she going to use the key Castle had given her and just let herself in or would she knock and wait for him to open the door? Each time that thought had returned she'd put off answering it, telling herself she would know what she should do when she got here.

Well she was here now and she still had no idea what to do! She could feel the slight weight of Castle's key in her pocket but she made no move to pull it out as she stood paralysed by indecision in front of his door. Kate knew Castle had specifically told her to use the key when she got back from the morgue, but knowing Castle expected her to let herself in and actually doing it were two very different things. She ground her teeth in frustration, why had the idiot man given her the damn key in the first place! If he hadn't given her the key she wouldn't be standing here like a fool, unable to move or make a decision. Well, enough of that! She _knew_ Castle was on the other side of the door waiting for her so there was no need to use the damn key. In fact she would give it back to him as soon as she could and refuse to take a spare - she could easily survive a few days without needing a key to Castle's place!

Kate lifted her hand and banged on the door, a trifle harder than was perhaps necessary but she needed to vent some of her irritation at Castle and his door was the closest thing of his she could access right now. She stood and waited impatiently for Castle to open the door, preparing to give him some choice words and shove his key into his face. Ten, twenty, then thirty seconds passed by and nothing happened - the door remained steadfastly closed and Kate remained standing fuming in front of it. She reached out and banged on the door again, harder and louder this time - she knew he must be in there, knew he was expecting her. This time she let a whole minute pass but still there was no answer, no sign that anyone was inside.

Kate yanked her cell from her jacket pocket and jabbed down on the '1' key to quick dial Castle's phone. She lifted the phone to her ear as it connected: 1 ring, 2 rings then 'Hi, I'm unable to take your call right now...' Kate ended the call before she heard any more of Castle's message and shoved the cell back into her pocket with a curse. Voicemail! Bloody voicemail! She stared at the door, her irritation at her partner soaring to new heights. Where was he? And why wasn't he answering? 'Fine,' she thought, throwing her arms up in frustration and turning back towards the elevator. 'If you're going to disappear on me I'll go back home, where I should have gone in the first place!'

Kate shoved the elevator call button quite hard and started to rapidly tap her foot as she waited impatiently for the car to arrive. She couldn't believe that Castle wasn't answering his door when he knew she would be arriving. She'd gone out of her way to step in to help him out, to keep his predatory ex-wife away from him and this is how he repaid her? The elevator car finally arrived and Kate stepped inside and hit the button for the ground floor. The doors slowly started to close and the elevator juddered as it started its slow descent. Kate closed her eyes and leaned back against the elevator wall, taking a few deep breaths to try and regain control of her emotions. It seemed like she'd been on the ragged edge ever since her parent's anniversary and had been utterly unable to regain her balance since then. Why else would she have kissed Castle on the cheek before falling asleep cuddled up to him on his couch? Why else would she volunteer, _volunteer_, to go with him to the airport just because she was afraid of what the return of his ex would mean for 'them'. There was no 'them', she knew that but somewhere along the line Castle had become the one certainty in her life which she felt she could depend on and somehow Meredith threatened that.

Kate felt the flash of anger pass, leaving her feeling mentally exhausted and emotionally worn out. How had it come to this? Since when did she let anyone get to her like this? And why didn't he answer his damn door when she knocked? Or his cell when she called? He _always_ answered when she called, well nearly always and this time he would have been expecting her. It was very odd for him not to answer her...unless...unless something was _preventing_ him from answering? Kate's eyes flew open as the elevator came to a halt and the doors started to open on to the ground floor. She leaned forward and jabbed the button back up to Castle's floor several times, willing the suddenly glacier like doors to close. What would prevent Castle from answering? What if something had happened to him...or Alexis? They were both supposed to be there and one of them must have heard her knocking!

The trip back up to Castle's floor seemed to take an eternity but the elevator eventually arrived and Kate rushed out of the doors as soon as they were wide enough for her to squeeze past. She ran up to his door and pulled his key from her pocket. 'Well, it looks like you got your wish Rick' Kate thought as she looked at the key. She inserted it in the lock and pulled her gun out with her other hand. Taking a steadying breath she quickly turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open with one foot, keeping the weapon high and ready.

Kate didn't know what she expected to see as she entered the loft, scanning left and right looking for trouble, but it was not Castle standing right in front of her with a cup of coffee half extended in one hand and a welcoming smile on his face. That smile vanished as he came face to face with her gun and he slopped most of the drink all over himself as he jumped back in shock.

"K...Kate, what!" Castle managed to stutter out.

"Castle, are you ok?" Kate said urgently, taking in everything in a long practised way. Apart from the now spilt coffee everything looked in order - there was no mess and no sign of anything out of the ordinary.

"Ok? Of course I'm okay! Well I was until you burst in here with your gun drawn!" Castle replied, wiping ineffectually at his sodden shirt.

Kate cautiously lowered her gun and stared at her partner. "So, everything's fine then...nothing wrong," Kate said slowly.

"No! What's going on? Why did you burst in here like that!?"

"Didn't you hear me knocking?" Kate asked, ignoring his question as she holstered her weapon.

"Knocking..." Castle said guiltily. "Did you knock?" he added weakly.

Kate put her hands on her hips - something was going on here, she could see it written all over Castle's face.

"Yes," she said dangerously. "Twice...loudly. And I called your cell - it went to voicemail,"

"Did it?" Castle said, trying to sound surprised but failing miserably.

"Yes," Kate grated out, taking a step towards him. He'd been here all along, he'd heard her knocking and he'd ignored her!

Castle scurried back at her approach, looking fearful at the anger which was clearly radiating off her. "Ah, I may have heard something which could have been a knock," Castle stammered out. "B...but I thought that, as you had a key and all, t...that you would just let yourself in."

"Jesus Rick! What the hell do you think you're doing? Do you know what I thought?"

"N...no," Rick mumbled.

"I thought something had happened to you...or Alexis! I knew you were both supposed to be here and when you didn't answer...you...you idiot!" Kate shouted at him.

"Something had happened to us?" Castle asked weakly.

"Yes. God Castle it wouldn't be the first time someone's come after one of us. What about 3XK? He's still out there somewhere...you're not exactly all that hard to find you know. Don't you ever think that he might come back, that he might want to toy with you, or with me?" Kate turned away from him then so he couldn't see the sudden tears which had formed in the corner of her eyes. She didn't know whether the tears were born of frustration at his stupidity or relief that he was safe but either way she didn't want him to see them. She wiped them away furiously and tried to bring the rollercoaster of her emotions back under control. The thought that had struck her in the elevator had been out of the blue but had taken hold of her completely. What if Castle couldn't answer because someone had got to him? What if someone _had_ come after him, or Alexis, someone connected to her mother's case or some random psychopath like 3XK? She knew the thoughts were irrational but she'd acted on pure instinct, racing back up here, charging into his home with gun drawn dreading what she was about to find.

"Kate, I'm sorry," Castle said, his voice drifting closer to her. "I didn't mean...I just wanted you to get used to using a key to let yourself in, that's all! It was stupid and I'm sorry."

"Rick," Kate said, keeping her back towards him; her voice a little unsteady with the emotions that were still cascading through her. "Do you have any idea...what I thought...that **_he_** might come after you again and this time...?" Kate broke off, unable to finish that thought.

"Kate, no...I had no idea you even thought about...I'm sorry," Castle said, coming up behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders.

Kate stiffened instinctively at his touch but the tightening of her muscles only lasted a moment as she gave in to the wave of emotions that were passing through her. She leaned back towards him, all anger forgotten as she felt an overwhelming desire just to feel his reassuring presence. He was there and he was fine - stupid, idiotic, in so much trouble when she could summon the energy to really make him pay for this lunacy, but most importantly of all he was ok. She could feel him tense in surprise as she rested her back against his chest but just as her own tenseness had vanished almost as soon as it had appeared she felt him quickly relax and grip her harder.

"Kate," Rick whispered by her ear, causing little shocks to run up and down her spine. She closed her eyes and briefly thought of her statement to Lanie not so long ago about how nothing would change between her and Rick just because she was staying at his loft for a few days. That resolve hadn't even lasted an hour! She moved to turn in Rick's arms, to face him and to...

"Dad?" Alexis' voice floated down from upstairs and Kate jumped in shock as she was suddenly jerked back to reality and she realised where she was and what she was doing. She quickly moved out of Castle's arms just as Alexis appeared at the bottom of the stairs, looking around until her eyes came to rest on the two of them. Kate felt her face redden and knew she must look all flustered. She risked a glance at Castle out of the corner of her eyes and he didn't look much better, his eyes wide and his arms now hanging somewhat comically in mid air.

"Dad...what?" Alexis said in puzzlement. Her eyes flittered between her father and Kate then widened slightly as she seemed to realise she had interrupted something.

"Kate's home," Castle managed. Kate thought he was trying to sound jovial but his voice sounded rather strangled to her ears.

"Yes, I heard her knocking," Alexis said in a tone of disapproval. Kate guessed that Alexis knew very well what her father had done and was obviously not in favour - she really was a smart girl. Heaven help any future boyfriend or husband. "Why are you covered in coffee?"

"What? Oh," Castle said, looking down at his sodden shirt. Kate started guiltily as she realised her own back was damp from where she'd so recently leaned against him. She was suddenly very glad that she was facing towards Castle's daughter and now away from her.

"Um, an accident...Kate surprised me when she came in," Castle added.

"I don't see how," Alexis said. "You've been sitting there waiting for her for the past half an hour."

"I was not," Castle spluttered. "I just happened to be..."

"Whatever Dad, I don't want to know. Go get yourself cleaned up. Dinner will be ready in about 10 minutes."

Alexis turned her back on the two of them and walked off towards the kitchen. Kate stood staring at her as she retreated then turned to face her partner, whose mouth was still opening and closing but with no words coming out.

"So," Kate said, trying her best to sound casual. "You were waiting for me for the past half hour?"

Castle winced. "Um...Alexis may have been exaggerating...ah..."

Kate crossed her arms over her breasts and gave Castle one of her best interrogation stares. He quickly wilted under that gaze, as so many had before him, and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Ok, fine. I was waiting for you. And I heard your knocking and sent your call though to voicemail. I wanted you to get used to letting yourself in and not being dependant on one of us that's all. It was stupid and I'm sorry."

"You've said that already," Kate said.

"And I meant it!" Castle protested.

"Go clean yourself up Castle," Kate said with a sigh. She would think of some way to make him pay for this evening's idiocy later but right now she was too tired and still reeling from how close she had come to doing something she might regret to do anything more. "It seems you make a habit of pouring drinks all over yourself."

"That's not fair Kate," Castle said. "I seem to recall that on both occasions it was your fault."

"My fault? How did you work _that_ one out Castle?" Kate said as she walked past him and started up the stairs. "I didn't throw those drinks over you; you managed that all by yourself!"

"Hey, it was you that was looking too damn sexy for words which distracted me the first time around and let us not forget who burst in here with gun raised!" Castle said to her retreating back.

"Details Castle, details," Kate said, unable to stop her smile at his first comment despite the emotional uncertainty which was still raging through her.

* * *

Rick stood and watched Kate disappear up his stairs and on in to his spare room, his mind awhirl at the events of the past couple of minutes. It had seemed a really good idea at the time, ignoring her knocking and her call, forcing her to use the key he'd given her. He really wanted her to get used to coming and going from his home as she pleased but knew her well enough to know she'd resist doing so, that she would feel uncomfortable with such a level of casualness. So he'd hatched his plan to force her into using the key he'd given her, reasoning that once she'd done it once it would be easier for her to do it again until she eventually got used to the idea.

He'd been a little worried when after diverting her call to voicemail she'd seemed to give up but when the doorman reported Kate's brief arrival at the ground floor and immediate return without leaving the elevator he'd abandoned his hastily conceived plan of getting Jorge to stall Kate so he could rush downstairs and explain and instead grabbed a mug of coffee, on the assumption Kate had talked herself into using the key after all and would probably be a little pissed at him when she found him waiting for her - in which case it couldn't hurt to help pacify his irate partner with her favourite drink.

It was fair to say Kate coming in gun raised was not what he had expected! Uncertainty, perhaps; anger, almost certainly; but coming in on full alert, gun raised...no that eventuality had never crossed his mind! He'd never considered Kate might read more into his ignoring her than his simple ploy to push her into using the key; that her highly tuned cop senses might jump to a conclusion such as 3XK coming after him. Kate had never mentioned she worried the psychopath might return one day, might come after him to finish the job. But the flash of fear he'd seen in her eyes before she'd turned away from him...it was clear that whilst she may never have mentioned it she most certainly had thought about it - and the thought frightened her.

'Urgh,' Rick thought as his rapidly cooling t-shirt suddenly pulled his thoughts back to the here and now. He leant over to set what remained of Kate's coffee down on to a nearby shelf and used his hands to peel the sopping shirt away from his chest. Lovely! He headed off into his room and threw the offending garment into the laundry basket. Entering his bathroom he quickly towelled down his chest before returning to his bedroom to find a clean shirt.

As Rick buttoned the fresh, blessedly dry, shirt his thoughts returned to the exchange with Kate. He vividly recalled how she had briefly seemed to melt into his arms when he'd realised just how stupid he'd been and reached out to apologise to her. She had seemed so unusually vulnerable at that moment it had simply been instinctive for him to want to hold her close, to reassure her that everything was ok as he had done so many times in the past for Alexis when she was growing up. He'd half expected her to pull away, to retreat into her shell as she so often did when her emotions got the better of her but she had surprised him by doing the complete opposite. Instead of pulling away she'd leant back into him as if needing that contact to know he really was there.

He was probably reading more into it than he should, but Rick couldn't shake the feeling Kate had been about to turn in his arms when Alexis had called out down the stairs. He ground his teeth in frustration, he loved his daughter to distraction but at that moment he wished she had waited just a couple more minutes before putting in an appearance! He had no idea what Kate might have done - she could easily have been turning to berate him again for his idiocy - but he would have loved to find out. Of course, Alexis' appearance had been enough to kill whatever 'moment' they'd shared so now he was back to square one. Or maybe square two. He was still sure Kate felt _something_ towards him but exactly what that something was and how ready she was to hear him tell her that he loved her? No, that he still didn't know.

Rick sighed, well he wouldn't ever find out by standing alone in his room. Kate was only a floor away from where he stood after all and would be staying here for at least a few days (he hoped) so perhaps another chance like the one just gone might finally come, only this time with no interruptions or other distractions - just the two of them, him and Kate.

'Let's face it,' Rick thought morosely. 'If an opportunity to tell Kate he loved her doesn't arrive when we are virtually living together then he would have to face the very real possibility it never would, that he might just have to accept they were never meant to be. No, I won't let that happen! No matter what I will find a way to tell her. Before she leaves she will _know_ that I love her and I want her to be here, with me, for the rest of our lives.'

* * *

"Dad, there you are!" Alexis exclaimed as Rick exited his room and entered the main living area of the loft. "I was just about to come and get you, dinner's ready to be dished up. What took you so long to change a shirt?"

"Uh, nothing," Rick said. "Just had to clean up a bit."

"Whatever. Get the vegetables from the steamer whilst I portion out the lasagne."

"Yes, daughter dearest," Rick said, mildly amused at Alexis' bossiness. She'd only been gone a couple of weeks but he'd missed her ordering him around.

"I've laid the table," Kate said, appearing around the corner from the dining area.

"Thanks, would you grab the condiments...they're over there," Alexis replied, pointing over her shoulder with a ladle.

"She's got you working too I see," Rick said in a whisper to Kate as she passed by him.

"I don't mind," Kate replied with a smile. "It's kind of nice to help out."

"You might change your tune after a few days; Alexis can be a hard task master..."

"I heard that," Alexis said without turning around.

"Did you?" Rick asked innocently, enjoying the interplay with his daughter. He followed Kate out of the kitchen with the steaming pot of vegetables, which he carefully placed in the centre of the table. He turned to see if there was anything else he could do but Alexis was right behind him with two plates, heaped high with lasagne.

"Sit, sit," she said, placing one plate in front of his usual seat and one in front of a chair to his left. As Alexis customarily sat to his right that must be for Kate and Rick was rather foolishly pleased that she would right next to him and opposite his daughter - it seemed very right somehow. Alexis returned a moment or two later with her own plate and took her normal seat beside him and Rick looked around in pleasure. Yes, this felt very right indeed!

"Please, don't stand on any ceremony," he said, indicating to Kate she should start attacking the pile of steaming vegetables first. "Just help yourself to as much as you want...there will be plenty."

"Alexis, this looks and smells great!" Kate said.

"Thanks. I love to cook but never get the chance when I stay at Mom's...I don't think she knows what half of the implements in her kitchen are for!"

"She knows how to throw them though," Rick added, helping himself to vegetables after Kate had finished. "I remember having to dodge flying plates on more than one occasion."

"People really do that!" Kate said in surprise.

"Oh yes. Meredith is an 'actress' and apparently it's all part of having a flair for the dramatic. It is one of many things I don't miss about being married to her."

"Surely Martha doesn't do that kind of thing...does she?"

"No," Alexis replied with a laugh. "Grams has her moments but generally knows where to draw the line. Besides, Dad would have a fit if she tried something like that."

Rick just nodded and let the dinner conversation just ebb and flow around the three of them. Alexis had a lot of stories to tell of her time in LA, mainly to do with how fake most of it was and how different the attitudes were to New Yorkers. Alexis' stories carried them through dinner and naturally led into Kate and Rick reminiscing about their own trip to LA last year and gave Rick the opportunity to share some of his own experiences of the place after dozens of book tours and other promotional events he'd done there over the years.

Rick's stories about some of his more...unusual...fans he'd met on his various book tours kept them laughing and talking for an hour or more and all too soon it was time to clear the plates away. Kate insisted on helping clear up and Rick curbed his natural instinct to refuse. Normally he would never permit a guest to help clean up but he wanted her to feel at home here and not like a guest so that meant he had to let her help out, despite how odd it felt. It seemed like Kate wasn't the only one who had to get used to doing things a little differently to normal and it was a price he was more than willing to pay if it meant she felt more comfortable here.

Whilst his daughter and partner cleared up Rick opened a nice bottle of wine and poured two glasses for him and Kate, knowing better then to offer any to his daughter. He instead poured her some OJ and the three of them made their way into his lounge and spread out on the available couches. Rick was pleased that Kate chose to sit beside him, once more returning to the spot where she'd so recently fallen asleep against him. She gave him a slightly puzzled look as he smiled broadly at that thought whilst handing over her glass of wine. He said nothing as he sat down beside her but he couldn't help but hope that maybe she might fall asleep beside him once again.

"So, how is your case going?" Alexis asked after they had all settled down. "Dad said that a young woman had been shot."

"Yeah," Kate replied, a touch of sadness in her tone. "She was engaged to her boyfriend and so far all we've really found out is that they seem to have been a young couple about to start what should have been a long and happy life together."

"Oh, that's so sad!" Alexis replied.

"Was Lanie able to give you any leads?" Rick asked. In the chaos that had been Kate's arrival at the loft he'd completely forgotten about where she'd been and what Lanie might have told her.

"Not much at this stage. The bullets fragmented on entry but she's fairly sure they're 9mm. She's sent off samples for tox screening but she doesn't expect the results will show anything unusual."

"Was she able to give a better time of death?" Alexis asked. Kate looked at her oddly for a moment before shaking her head.

"Sorry, I sometimes forget you work with Lanie...and have no doubt heard far too many stories from your old man here," She said, pointing at him.

"Hey, less of the old!" Rick protested.

Kate ignored his protestations and continued to Alexis, "No, she's not got anything so far which narrows our window. She's going to be sending results over tomorrow as and when she gets them but I don't hold out much hope of getting anything more definitive."

"Dr. Parish is working tomorrow then?"

"Yes, it seems so. Why?"

"I think I'll go ask her if she minds if I come in. I'd like to get some more field work under my belt before I go off to college. Excuse me," Alexis said excitedly, rising from her seat and scurrying out of the room.

Kate stared after her for a second before turning to face Rick. "Is she often like that?" She asked him, sounding a little bemused by her enthusiasm.

"What, you mean ridiculously keen to work...absolutely! I honestly don't know where she gets it from!"

"Not from you then?" Kate asked him with a smile as she took a sip of her drink. "You weren't like that at her age?"

"God no! Can you imagine me like that? No, I've always need a lot of motivation before I do _any_ sort of work. Why do you think I write for a living? Much easier than a normal job."

"I'm not sure I believe that any more, given what I've learned about you over the years. Besides, that doesn't explain why you keep dragging yourself to crime scenes at all hours of the day and night - reluctantly perhaps but you still keep showing up."

"Ah, but I have motivation to do that Kate. I've learnt so much over the past few years with you - it's made me a much better writer, and I hope maybe even a better person as well."

"Well you're certainly less annoying," Kate replied. "Most of the time anyway," she added with a smile.

"You wound me detective," Rick replied, playing along with her gentle teasing. "First you call me old and now I'm annoying. I'm beginning to wonder why you keep me around at all!"

"Coffee," Kate replied blandly. "Who would bring me my coffee if you weren't there?"

"Oh the tragedy of it, reduced from bestselling author to glorified delivery boy," Rick said mockingly, shaking his head. "I'm not sure my ego can continue taking such blows."

"Ha, I think your ego will survive Rick," Kate said. She paused for a moment and took another sip of her drink. "Besides, I think you know full well that you bring more to the party than just coffee."

"Bearclaws?" Rick asked after a moment's thought.

Kate rolled her eyes at him. "Yes Rick, coffee and bearclaws are the only reasons I continue to let you hang around."

Rick leaned back comfortably, enjoying the familiar to-and-fro with Kate. It was something they'd done since the moment they'd met and he treasured being able to exchange good-natured banter with her like this.

"Well, as long as I can continue to help keep our city's finest going with caffeine and pastries then I have all the motivation I need."

Kate shook her head but didn't respond to his declaration. Instead they both continued to sit there, occasionally sipping on their drinks but otherwise sitting in what was rapidly becoming an awkward silence.

"So," Rick said, needing to break the impasse. "You saw Lanie. Did you...you know, tell her about us? Er, I mean about you staying here...because of Meredith?"

Kate's head had whipped round when Rick had slipped up and said 'us' but he was glad to see her shoulders relax slightly after he'd quickly corrected himself.

"Yes," she said after a few moments. "And much as I hate to admit it, you were right."

"I was!" Rick said in surprise. "Er, what was I right about, exactly?"

"About telling Lanie and the others," Kate said. "Even after just one day it felt good to not have the burden of trying to keep this," Kate waved a hand around to indicate herself and the loft, "under wraps. I can already see just how difficult it would have been and we would almost certainly have been caught out - which would have been a mess! No, telling them is the right thing to do. I intend on pulling the guys to one side first thing tomorrow morning and telling them as well."

"Oh, right. Good."

"Talking of which," Kate said, glancing down at her watch. "I think I'm going to call it a night," She stood and carried her empty wine glass out in to the kitchen.

"Oh, already," Rick said in disappointment, standing to join her in the kitchen.

"Yes Castle," Kate replied. "We'll have a lot to do tomorrow so I want to be fresh and focused. Will you be joining me?"

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it."

"Right...well I guess I'll see you in the morning then," Kate said awkwardly.

"Yes, I guess so. What time do you want to be there?"

"Eight," Kate said promptly, causing Rick to wince.

"You know tomorrow is a Sunday, right?"

"Of course I know Castle. If it had been a weekday it would have been seven!"

"I suppose I should be grateful for small mercies," Rick said morosely. "I'll set my alarm for seven."

"You'd better Castle, I'm not coming in to wake you up this time. If you're not ready to go then I'll leave you here and go by myself."

"Harsh Kate," Rick said.

"I told you this morning what would happen if you weren't ready..." Kate replied.

"I know, I know. Was that really only this morning? Seems like it was a long time ago?"

"Busy day," Kate said with a shrug.

"Hmmm, yes. Certainly a lot has happened today," Rick mused. Not least of which was that he was having this conversation with Kate in his kitchen before they both headed towards their respective beds - not a scenario he would have imagined this morning whist he was waiting nervously for Kate to arrive, wondering what the day might bring.

"Yes," Kate agreed quietly, a slightly faraway look in her eyes. "Well goodnight then Castle," she said after a moment.

"What? Oh, yes, goodnight Kate, sleep well."

Kate looked at him for a moment and Rick thought she was going to say something further but she eventually just nodded and walked away. He watched her go, wishing more than ever that he could follow her, that it was not to his spare room she was headed but to 'their' bedroom, where he could truly hold her in his arms and fall asleep by her side knowing she would be there beside him when he awoke. He sighed, well that wasn't going to happen tonight.

Rick rinsed out his wine glass and placed it back in the cupboard. He made one final sweep around the loft to ensure everything was either off or locked before detouring upstairs to say goodnight to his daughter. He carefully and studiously ignored the door to 'Kate's' room as he passed it, trying very hard not to think about the woman who was behind that door and how much he ached to join her. After wishing Alexis goodnight he headed back downstairs and to his own room. He looked at his empty bed and sighed, he doubted he would sleep well tonight, not after everything that had happened today.

* * *

Kate closed the door to the room which would be her home for the next few days and let out a small sigh of relief. She really wasn't all that tired but she desperately needed some time alone to assimilate what had happened today. She headed into the adjoining bathroom, only stopping to retrieve some nightwear on the way (which she was inordinately grateful to have with her this time). She quickly stripped down and jumped in the shower, letting the hot water flow over her body as she leant back against the tiled wall. So much had happened today, so much which she needed to digest and understand. Castle had been right about one thing, it was astonishing that it had only been this morning she'd turned up here only expecting to spend a few hours with Castle and his daughter. Instead she'd wound up creating this ridiculous lie which had landed her here.

But her current living arrangements were the least of her worries. The emotional rollercoaster she'd been on for the past couple of days seemed in no hurry to abate and she seemed to be being carried from one extreme to another. She thought back to a couple of hours ago, when she'd burst in to Castle's loft truly afraid of what she might find. The intensity of that emotion had shocked her almost as much as the overwhelming need she'd subsequently felt to feel Rick's arms around her. She'd almost given completely in to him then, probably would have if Alexis hadn't called down the stairs and woken her up to where she was and what she was doing.

Even now Kate could feel her face redden at the thought of what she'd been about to do when Alexis had interrupted them. She _knew_ that she was going to kiss him, _knew_ that the kiss would be no peck on the cheek this time and once started she wasn't sure she would have been able to stop. Even now the memory of Rick hoarsely whispering her name in her ear was enough to arouse her, to spark a warm heat which had nothing to do with the shower. Kate shut the water off with a quick jerk and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel to wrap herself from head to foot. No, she had to stop this nonsense. Castle was Castle, not Rick! She had to stop calling him that, to stop thinking about him as anything other than her partner. That's all they could be, partners and nothing more.

Kate brushed her teeth, combed and dried out her hair whilst determinedly repeating to herself that she had to stop this foolishness, that she somehow had to find a way back to them being just Beckett and Castle, nothing more. It didn't matter what she felt, they couldn't be anything more - she wasn't ready for them to be anything more despite how good it had felt to be in his arms, how her body ached to feel...No! Enough! She would start tomorrow with their case - that was more normal for them, much safer ground. And when she got back here she would excuse herself as quickly as possible and retreat to this room. It would seem a little rude but she had to do it, for the good of their partnership. And once these two weeks was over they could return to normal.

Kate pulled the nightgown over her head and exited the bathroom, throwing herself down on the bed, not knowing how she was going to get through the next few days and trying very hard not to think of the writer who lay not too far from her, probably sleeping peacefully...which was not something Kate expected she would do much of tonight.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This chapter revisits some of the themes from the original one-shot (now Chapter One) which gave birth to this story. **

**Some thanks to Caskett1 for the review of the last chapter - I've softened the final section of that chapter so it is now hopefully a little less jarring and more like the slightly panicky, and temporsry, knee-jerk reaction I was originally aiming for. You don't need to re-read that before this chapter, you'll probably not notice any differences unless you have a _very_ good memory (or at least, a better memory than mine)!**

**Oh, and one final thing - 100 followers! Thank you all for taking an interest in my somewhat ad-hoc and rambling tale... :-)**

* * *

Kate slowly made her way down the stairs, her head feeling foggy after a poor night's sleep. She'd tried hard to let her fears and worries over her current situation drift to the back of her mind so she could relax enough to fall asleep but it hadn't worked particularly well and so she'd spent a good deal of the night worrying about whether being here was the right thing. She'd even made to get up and go home on a couple of occasions before stopping herself at the door to her room. Going home wouldn't solve anything and would probably only make things worse. No, she had made her choice and she had to live with the consequences, no matter how hard she was finding it to divorce her feelings from the situation.

Kate reached the ground floor of Castle's loft and made her way over to his kitchen, intending to search for some caffeine to kick start her brain. She stopped in surprise as she saw Castle already sitting at the counter slumped over a bowl of cereal, his eyes half closed.

"Castle," Kate said. "I...I didn't expect to see you up and about this early?" Kate said

"Kate! Morning," Castle said, jerking up in surprise at her question - he evidently hadn't heard her approach. She noticed he looked as tired as she felt, maybe even more so going by the bags under his eyes...she just hoped she didn't look quite as bad as he did!

"Help yourself to breakfast," Castle continued. "Cereal's over there, bread and the like is behind you and the milk...well the milk is obviously in the fridge."

"Do I smell coffee?" Kate asked, her nose informing her of this important fact...food could wait, she needed that caffeine!

"Of course," Castle said, nodding over to one side.

Kate smiled in anticipation and quickly made her way over to the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee. She took a long, slow drag of the glorious liquid, leaning back against the counter and closing her eyes in pleasure. God, she needed that!

"Feeling better?" Castle asked with a trace of warm amusement in his voice.

"Mm-mmm," Kate said, unable to manage anything more coherent. She savoured the life giving drink for a few moments more before finally opening her eyes and looking across at her partner. "Good coffee," she managed with a smile.

"Only the best for you detective," Castle replied before yawning hugely. "So...sorry," he managed to say.

"Bad night's sleep?" Kate asked.

"Yeah," Castle nodded. "I just couldn't seem shut my brain off long enough to drop off! I guess I must have slept for a few hours, on and off, but it doesn't really...really feel like it," he said around another yawn.

"Stop it!" Kate protested around her own yawn. "You're making me do it now!"

"Sorry," Castle mumbled. He turned back to his breakfast and took a half-hearted spoonful of his cereal. Kate wasn't much of one for eating a great deal first thing in the morning, preferring to start her day with a caffeine infusion before tackling food a little later. She wrapped her hands around her cup and sat down next to her partner. Castle looked over at her and gave her a tired looking smile.

"So, do you think we're going to make much progress today?"

"P...progress?" Kate asked.

"With our case."

"Our case? Oh, right, yes. Progress with our case," Kate said, dismissing the ridiculous notion he'd been talking about them - she really was not completely awake yet! "I don't really know. We'll have more to go on than yesterday but I still think the key lies with SDG and I don't think we'll make much progress with that until tomorrow. No, we'll do as much of the donkey work as we can today and then we'll go see SDG tomorrow - see what we can shake loose."

"You really think they're into something that got our vic killed?"

"Don't you?"

"Well, yes. But it's kind of expected for me to go straight for the conspiracy angle. You're...well normally you're a little more sceptical."

"Thanks," Kate said drily. She leaned back slightly and caressed the side of her cup. "I don't know why Castle but something about this one...there's no reason for it I just have a gut feeling..."

"I think I'm starting to rub off on you detective," Castle said with a grin. "A gut feeling!"

"Don't put your shoulder out trying to pat yourself on the back," Kate said. "I'm not saying we _won't_ find anything today which will point in a completely different direction...I just won't be all that surprised if we don't find anything useful until we talk to SDG."

"Sounds like a good conspiracy theory to me detective," Castle said, obviously not wanting to let the point go. Kate set down her cup and crossed her arms in front of her, giving him one of her better stares.

"Did you want to come into the precinct today Castle? I'm quite relaxed about leaving you here and going in alone..." she said in a threatening tone. It was an empty threat, and they both knew it, but Castle raised his hands in defeat anyway. He motioned zipping across his lips then said "Mmm...mmmm...mmmmm...mmm..." before stopping and motioned unzipping the invisible zip.

"Sorry," he said, grinning at his own childlike joke. "I said I promise not to mention your conversion to the dark side again. Scout's honour"

"Mature Castle, real mature," Kate drawled, shaking her head at him.

Castle's grin broadened and after a moment Kate returned his somewhat infectious grin with a small smile of her own. He always managed to do this to her, clowning around like an idiot as he did!

"Well, I'd better get ready to face all that paperwork," Castle said, standing up and shaking his arms out as if he was about to run a marathon. He picked up his half-eaten cereal and dumped the remaining contents in the bin. He left to head back to his room; presumably to clean his teeth and grab whatever else he felt he needed to survive the day.

Kate sighed. Despite their banter she wasn't really looking forward to today either. Castle was right; it was likely to be one long continuous round of paperwork, which they would have to trawl slowly through. They had Sarah's call records to examine and there would be the stream of endless reports from crime scene techs which no doubt had already begun to build up in her inbox and would continue to do so throughout the day. And then there were Lanie's autopsy reports and the results of her tox screen tests. Any one of these could provide them with the key they needed to unlock this case so each had to be examined, logged, cross referenced and checked to make sure they didn't miss anything of importance. It was tedious but necessary groundwork which each case required, the foundation upon which they could start to build a picture of what had happened in their vic's apartment that night.

"Ready detective?" Castle asked, suddenly reappearing beside her.

"What, right, yes," Kate managed, jumping as his sudden question jolted her out of her thoughts and back to the present. She quickly washed out her cup, wishing she'd had time for more of the coffee, before following Castle out of the apartment.

* * *

Esposito and Ryan were not around when they got to the precinct but the two detectives were not far behind them in arriving at the 12th. They were not the only officers and detectives around, despite the relatively early hour on a Sunday morning, but their floor was a little quieter than it would be during the week so they had no problem taking over a room for their investigation. Ryan dragged in their murder board whilst Esposito printed out two copies of their vic's call records for the past 12 months. As suspected, Kate had a dozen or so CSU reports already waiting for her in her inbox so she also spent some time at the printer before joining the three men in their makeshift 'incident' room. Kate sat down and handed half of her reports to Castle - in a long established routine they'd each take a look through half of the reports before swapping, so they both had an independent view on the findings and could compare notes at the end to see if either of them had spotted anything worth noting.

The morning passed quickly as the four of them ploughed through the various reports and documents, occasionally highlighting something they saw or passing a document around for a second opinion. As Kate feared the results of all this effort were minimal at best. Between them they'd made a couple of additions to the murder board but nothing of any real significance came to light and the board remained pretty sparse.

"Gah," Esposito said finally, throwing his latest report onto the table. "There's nothing here. Our vic seems to have had one of the most normal and boring lives I've ever seen!"

"Not really a bad thing," Castle chided gently.

"It is when you're trying to find out why someone wanted her dead!" Esposito retorted. He stood up and stretched his back. "Before I even look at another piece of paper I need some food! Hey Castle, I believe lunch is on you!" he said, grinning at the writer.

"On me!" Castle protested lightly. He often stood for lunch anyway but he always made some play of being forced to do so. It wasn't really necessary but it made all of them feel a little more comfortable at his paying for everything - he could easily afford to do so of course but there was a matter of pride and ego involved, especially with her two male colleagues.

"Yeah," Ryan seamlessly picked up on his partner's cue. "You promised us lunch after you ditched us at the 'Haunt the other night."

"You're right, I did," Castle said, with a sidelong look over at Kate. She swallowed a little hard, the reminder of that night suddenly bringing back to her what Castle had been doing when he'd apparently ditched them and where it had ultimately led. She was also reminded of her promise to herself to tell the guys of her current living arrangements first thing today, something which she'd competed neglected to do!

"Chinese ok?" Castle asked, pulling out his phone.

The two detectives looked at each over and then over at Kate, who simply shrugged. Her mouth was so dry at the moment she couldn't care less what they ordered as she doubted she would be able to taste it anyway.

"Yeah, that'll do," Esposito said.

"Right," Castle replied. "One sumptuous lunch coming up for New York's finest...and of course you two guys as well," he added with a smile as he walked out of the room, cell phone to his ear.

"Funny man, real funny," Esposito shouted at his retreating back.

"Hey Beckett," Ryan said. "Castle never really said why he didn't return that night...do you know?"

"Um...yeah," Kate replied, coughing nervously. "Alexis called to tell him...to tell him that Meredith was flying back to New York with her, to spend a few days here."

"Whoa, deep fried Twinkie Meredith?" Esposito said.

Kate grimaced, that phrase seemed to be etched on everyone's mind when it came to Castle's first wife. "Yes," she said shortly. "She flew in with Alexis yesterday morning."

"So Castle's ex number one is back in town?" Ryan asked quietly. "What does Castle think of that? Oww," he added, rubbing his shoulder after Esposito had punched him. "What was that for?"

"Asking dumb questions," Esposito growled at him.

"I don't think he was too happy about it actually," Kate said quietly after a few moments of awkward silence, with Ryan glaring balefully at his partner. "That's what distracted him so badly at the 'Haunt, he was trying to think of a way to...avoid it," she said, stopping herself just in time from saying 'to tell me.'

"So he's not...ah...seeing her whilst she's here then?" Esposito asked, his voice and expression neutral.

"No more than is necessary for Alexis," Kate said. She stopped and took a deep breath, she had promised herself, and Castle, to tell the guys of her temporary living arrangements and this was the perfect opportunity to do just that. She forced her voice to be as casual as possible and added, "Besides, I...ah...kind of volunteered to stay with him, with them, at the loft for a few days...to watch his back in case she shows up, out of the blue." A slight stammer but overall Kate was pleased with how steady her voice had sounded.

"You're...you're staying with Castle...?" Ryan said in surprise.

"_At_ Castle's," Kate emphasised. "In his spare room." She wanted to make this distinction very clear right from the beginning, she may be staying in his loft but that was as far as it went.

"For a few days?" Esposito asked.

"For as long as Meredith is in town, yes. It's a pain in the ass but I think Castle's worried about her real reasons for being in New York, so the plan is if I'm around she won't be able to show up unexpectedly and corner him..."

"So this was all Castle's idea then?" Esposito asked, interrupting her.

Kate closed her eyes, trust Espo to ask that question, the one question she most definitely did not want to answer.

"What do you think Espo? Do you think I just _invited_ myself to stay in Castle's loft? Do you think it would have been _my_ idea to give up the comfort of my own home just to hang around Castle's place on the off chance his ex-wife _might_ show up and cause trouble...?" Kate laced her answer with as much dismissive sarcasm as she could manage and it seemed to do the trick, as Espo started to shake his head halfway through her non-answer.

"But you agreed to it!?" Ryan asked incredulously.

"I know, I know, don't remind me," Kate said. "Words were said in front of Meredith and I made a spur of the moment choice which I really, really didn't think all the way through."

"What? Wait! Words were said in _front_ of Meredith? When did you see Meredith?" Esposito asked suddenly.

'Damn,' Kate thought. She'd not intended to tell them that. She'd agreed it was better to tell them about her living in Castle's spare room rather than to try and hide it (and almost invariably be found out - with all the questions _that_ would entail!) but they didn't _need_ to know anything about her trip to the airport with the writer, about how she'd got herself into this mess. But she'd put her foot in it now...

"Ah...at the airport," Kate confessed reluctantly. "I gave Castle a lift."

"Why? No wait, don't tell me...that was his idea as well?"

"No," Kate said honestly. There was no way she'd be able to avoid answering his question this time, she'd gotten away with deflecting him once but there was no way that trick would work again. "That was my idea. When he told me she was coming back in to town I volunteered to go with him to the airport to pick Alexis up - it seemed like the right thing to do at the time," she said with a shrug. "I'm sure you'd do the same for Ryan."

"What? Whoa, whoa whoa, leave me out of this! I haven't got any mad exes who might suddenly turn up..."

"No?" Kate interrupted, seizing on the opportunity to deflect the conversation away from further questions about exactly _why_ she'd gone with Castle to the airport. "What about vampire girl eh? Or what's her name, the one that jumped off cliffs for kicks? You're telling me that if one of those turned up out of the blue you wouldn't call on your partner here to help you out?"

Ryan looked around guiltily, as if either of the ex-girlfriends she'd mentioned might suddenly appear. "Ummm, maybe," he admitted, going red.

"Dude, don't think for one moment I'm gonna step in between you and one of your exes," Esposito said to his partner.

"What? Why not? I'd do it for you!" Ryan protested.

The two of them started to bicker about what exactly was and what wasn't covered by the code of partnership and Kate sighed with relief, glad that the focus was off her and that the questions had stopped, at least for now. She'd done it! She'd carried through her promise and she'd told everyone who mattered where she was staying and why. They all knew Meredith was back in town and she was staying at Castle's just to watch his back, just as a good partner should. Now hopefully they could all move on and preferably not mention it again, although she had little hope of the latter! She remembered her promise to let Lanie know once she'd told the guys about her living arrangements so whilst they were still arguing over who was the better partner she whipped out her cell and quickly tapped out a message and fired it off to the M.E. Just as she pressed send Castle came back in to the room, putting his own cell into his pocket.

"Lunch ordered," he said and then stopped and stared at the two bickering detectives. "What did I miss?" he asked.

"Nothing," Ryan said sulkily, obviously still put out with Espo for not having his back in the highly theoretical and unlikely scenario that vampire girl turned up out of the blue after his blood.

"Okaaay," Castle said slowly, obviously not believing Ryan. He looked down at Kate and she mouthed the word 'later' to him. He quirked a questioning eyebrow but said nothing, trusting that she would fill him in when the opportunity arose. He walked around the table and sat back down in his chair, leaning back and folding his hands behind his head.

"So what are we going to do whilst we wait for lunch?" he asked, looking around at them.

* * *

Rick found that the afternoon dragged by slowly after they had finished their lunch, as the four of them continued to search for something, anything, useful in the endless reports and documents. But it was pretty clear to all of them there was nothing much to find. Sarah had been an ordinary, hard-working young women going about her normal life in a normal way before it had been violently ripped away from her and there was nothing to indicate she'd ever done anything even vaguely suspicious. And whoever had ended her life had left no clues behind them; the CSU techs had not been able to find any hint of evidence which could not be explained away by the normal comings and goings of life.

About the only bright spot of the day was Ryan securing an appointment for him and Kate at SDG the following morning. Rick was convinced the firm was somehow involved in all this; the law firm seemed the only part of Sarah's life with any question marks about it. Kate seemed to be with him on this one for a change and she gave an audible sigh of relief when Ryan announced the appointment he'd secured for them.

That announcement turned out to be the trigger for calling today's necessary but ultimately fruitless efforts to a halt. Kate gathered them all together for a review of the board and a brief summary of tomorrow's tasks. They would go to SDG first thing whilst Ryan and Esposito would interview Simon. Hopefully by now their vic's distraught boyfriend would have pulled himself together enough to provide them with some more detailed background information on their vic; what she did in her spare time, who her friends were, where she hung out; anything that could give them the lead which they so desperately needed right now. Kate told the guys to focus their questions around Sarah's job at SDG. She didn't want them to be too obvious about it, but to make sure they found out all they could about what she did there and what cases she may have been involved in.

"Got everything?" Kate asked them once she'd finished going through her list of things she wanted out of their interview.

"Yeah boss," Esposito replied. "We'll get you what you need."

"Good, well, we'll see you here tomorrow then. Go home and enjoy what's left of your weekend."

"Yeah you too." The two detectives stood and headed for the door of their temporary incident room. Esposito stopped in the doorway and turned back towards them. "Oh and Castle..."

"Hmmm?" Rick asked.

"Don't let Beckett take advantage of you, now that she's moved in to your place."

"I have not moved in!" Kate protested loudly as Esposito and Ryan left the room, laughing.

"I guess that means you told them then," Rick managed after a while.

"Yeah," Kate said grumpily. "Although I think I'm already beginning to regret it!"

"Don't worry, their teasing will pass and it will be better in the long run. Just imagine how bad it would have been if they'd found out by themselves!"

"Hmph," Kaye grunted noncommittally, obviously not completely convinced.

It took them about half an hour or so more to pack things up for the day, to log and file all of the reports correctly and to clear their makeshift room. The trip back to the loft was uneventful and they each adjourned to their rooms on arrival to get changed. Rick was out first and was sitting at his desk when Kate came down the stairs. She was dressed in jogging pants and top, which made it fairly obvious she wasn't planning on relaxing quite yet.

"Going out for a run?" Rick asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, I need to clear my head after today, dismiss the endless lines of words for a while!"

"Don't blame you...have you got your key?"

"Ah...no, I didn't think I'd need it..." Kate replied, a little guiltily.

Rick nodded to himself, time for a little more gentle pushing, although at least he'd warn her in advance this time...hopefully that would be enough to stop her bursting in here again with gun raised.

"You'd better take it Kate," he said, trying to sound thoughtful. "Alexis won't be back from the OCME for a while yet and I think I'm going to do some writing...I've got an idea I want to work through, see if it fits."

"So you'll be here when I get back..." Kate noted, as if that settled the matter.

"I get very wrapped up in what I'm doing when I'm writing and might not hear you...for real this time! Besides," Rick added, a sudden inspiration striking him. "You wouldn't want to break my flow half way through what could turn out to be the most critical scene of the next 'Heat book now would you?" Playing on Kate's love of his writing was perhaps a little low but, to steal a phrase from her, sometimes it was a case of 'whatever worked'.

"How do you know it's going to be a critical scene?" Kate asked. "You just said you weren't sure it'll even fit with the rest of the story."

"True," Rick replied blandly. "But I never know when that critical scene will appear. I know where they've been, where they are and where I want them to end up, along with quite a bit of the detail in between, but often the most critical scene will just pop up unexpectedly, usually in the middle of something innocuous."

"You're making that up," Kate said sceptically.

"No, honestly. I've mapped out about 80% of the story and written half of it but the 20% that's left...that's where the book will live or die. Kate, please, just take the key with you and let yourself back in when you return."

"Ok, fine," Kate snapped, turning on her heel and almost stomping back up the stairs. Rick suppressed a smile, trying very hard not to liken her actions to one of Alexis' tantrums from a few years ago. She reappeared after a few moments, holding his key out in front of her.

"There, see," she said, waving it at him before shoving it in a pocket. "I've got your damn key."

"Good," Rick said benignly, knowing enough not to try and provoke her any more. "How long do you think you'll be?"

"I don't know," Kate said, still sounding a little put out. "Half an hour, an hour - it'll depend on what how I feel."

"Ok, either way it'll fit reasonably well with when Alexis said she'll be back. I'll make a start on dinner when you've both arrived."

Kate nodded and turned as if to leave before stopping and whirling back to face him.

"Wait a minute! You _can't_ be disturbed from writing by me knocking, in case you lose your flow, but you're happy to stop and start dinner, just like that," she said, snapping her fingers at him.

"No, not just like that," Rick responded, snapping his own fingers back at her. "I'll know when you're both back and can stop at a controlled point, when I reach a natural break...very different from just stopping at some random point when you happen to knock on the door," he said, hoping he sounded convincing. It was not actually all that different but Kate didn't need to know that.

"Hmmm," Kate responded, still eyeing him suspiciously. She continued to stare at him for a few moments more whilst Rick valiantly held on to his innocent smile before suddenly whirling once more to face his door and stalking off towards it.

"Have a good run," Rick called after her retreating back. He wasn't all that surprised when the only answer he got was the closing of his front door behind her.

Rick sighed; at least she didn't slam it. He reached over and flicked his laptop on. It only took a few moments for the machine to light up and he quickly logged back in. He was presented with his familiar wallpaper of the Naked Heat cover art, which caused him to smile slightly - Kate would probably not appreciate his choice all that much, especially as put out with him as she was right now! He navigated quickly to the Nikki Heat folder and was just about to open the latest draft of the next book when his hand stilled over the folder icon. This was the first time he'd had chance to sit down and write since Kate had turned up unexpectedly at his door, on the night of her parent's anniversary, and he was strongly reminded of that evening as he sat there, staring at the screen.

Kate had been badly affected by the anniversary and had come to him to apologise for unfairly taking it out on him, which once he understood why she'd been in such a bad mood he hadn't minded at all. He felt it was part of his job to be there for her on days like those and if he'd had known beforehand why she'd been so snarky he would have stayed at the precinct longer, just so she had someone to vent her emotions out on. Fortunately Kate had come to him anyway and he'd been able to ease her pain a little, although he knew it would never really pass. His beautiful detective really had been damaged by her mother's death and as much as it made her who she was he couldn't help but wonder how different she might have been without the life defining tragedy.

Rick refocused on the screen in front of him. Once Kate had settled down that evening they'd talked about his writing and he'd offered to allow Kate to read some of his unpublished story ideas and notes, character backgrounds and all the other bits and pieces which sat behind the hopefully polished product that other, normal readers got to see. He hesitated slightly, knowing a lot of what he'd written had been meant for his eyes only, but he quickly dismissed the hesitation and reached into a drawer to retrieve a memory key. Sure, a lot of this stuff wasn't meant to be read by others but a lot of it was originally intended for print only to have failed somewhere along the line. It would take far too long to go through the thousands of documents to pick and choose and besides, he only had the vaguest idea of what Kate would find interesting.

Carefully excluding the folder for the latest Heat book (Kate really _did not_ appreciate spoilers!) he set his machine to copying all of the files onto the memory stick. Rick sat back as his laptop started to do its work, watching as the progress bar slowly made its way across the screen. He wondered if Kate even remembered their conversation or his offer...he certainly did as it had prompted her to kiss him! Rick let his mind dwell on that pleasant memory and couldn't help but wonder what effect actually having these files would have on his partner, if the simple offer to read them was enough to prompt a kiss of gratitude...

* * *

Kate arrived back at Castle's loft about an hour or so after she'd stormed out of the building. She'd run her irritation at Castle out of her system and was feeling much calmer now than when she'd left, the exertion allowing her to temporarily forget about their case and about the complicated situation she found herself in. She fished his key out of his pocket and gave it a long, hard look before quickly shoving the thing into the lock and opening the door. All was quiet on the other side and she quickly stepped in and closed the door behind her. 'Idiot.' Kate thought to herself - as if closing the door quickly behind her would change the fact she'd just let herself in!

She strode off towards the stairs and headed up to her room, feeling a foolish urge to get out of sight before anyone saw her. She'd just reached the door to the safety of her room, where she could berate herself for her foolishness whilst getting showered and changed, when Alexis suddenly appeared around the corner.

"Oh. Kate, Hi," Alexis said in surprise.

"Hi," Kate said, suddenly feeling as if she'd been caught out.

"Did you have a good run? Dad said you'd gone out to run off some frustration...did he do something stupid again?"

"Yes," Kate said, then amended quickly. "I mean, yes I had a good run - I actually quite enjoyed running a different route to my normal ones. And no, your father didn't do anything more stupid than usual - the frustration was more about lack of progress on our case."

"Ah, I saw the reports before Dr. Parish sent them through...you found nothing useful then?"

"Not so far. Hopefully we'll get a break tomorrow."

"I hope so, Dad gets all moody when he can't solve a case - drives him crackers! Does he know you're back?"

"Um...I don't think so. I...er...let myself in," Kate said, apologetically.

"Oh, Okay. I'll stick my head around his office door and let him know you're back," Alexis replied, walking away.

Kate watched her go and shook her head in bemused wonder. She seemed to be quite calm and happy with her being there, and completely un-phased by her letting herself in and out of her home as and when she pleased!

Twenty minutes later Kate appeared downstairs, having showered and changed. She found both of the Castles in the kitchen, Rick hovering over the cooker whilst Alexis was chopping some lettuce leaves at the counter.

"Kate," Castle said, smiling in greeting when he noticed her approach. "Did you have a good run?"

"Yes, thank you," Kate replied. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, we're almost done. Just a simple salad with some hot potatoes and chicken...I hope that's ok?"

"Sounds great."

They settled down to dinner and simple though it may have been Kate thoroughly enjoyed the meal. She didn't know whether it was the meal itself or simply the relaxed and happy conversation with Castle and Alexis. She especially enjoyed some of Alexis' stories about Lanie and Perlmutter. They could all relate to the humorous stories involving Lanie but best of all were Alexis' tales about the crotchety male M.E., whom she was greatly amused to find treated little Castle with a great deal more respect than her father - much to his annoyance. It seemed Perlmutter valued the fact Alexis was there to work in an official, recognised capacity unlike Castle, whom he never showed any respect for whatsoever. Of course, he didn't show all that much respect to her either, or any of the detectives for that matter, so Kate thought his attitude towards Alexis had more to do with the job she was doing rather than anything else.

Still, watching Castle play the wounded soldier as Alexis retold stories about how welcoming Perlmutter had been, and how helpful he was (she only had to ask and he'd go out of his way to explain anything she didn't understand) was perhaps one of the more entertaining evenings she'd had in a while. In fact, she couldn't wait for the opportunity to retell some of these stories to the guys, whom she knew would be equally amused at Castle's expense, although she would definitely save them for when (not if, she was not foolish enough to believe there was any possibility of an 'if') they were giving her too hard a time about staying here.

As she had yesterday Kate helped clear up after dinner, glad that Castle didn't protest, despite his poorly hidden pained expression when she grabbed the plates. Alexis excused herself almost immediately after they'd finished, despite working all day at the OCME she had some studying she wanted to do for her college course.

"She's going to be one of the best prepared students they've ever seen," Kate said as Alexis disappeared up the stairs.

"I know," Castle replied, grinning with fatherly pride.

"I don't know what you're grinning at! You've already confessed she doesn't get her work ethic from you...although I can hardly credit it coming from Meredith either!"

Castle pouted a bit at her statement but couldn't really argue the point. Instead he reached into his pocket and offered her a memory stick.

"Here, for you," he said simply, handing it to her.

"What's this," Kate asked cautiously, wondering what the stick contained.

"You expressed an interest in some of my notes and unpublished works so here they are," Castle said shrugging. "All except the stuff on the latest Heat book, I remembered your 'no spoilers' rule," he added, rubbing a shoulder as if in memory of the punch she'd given him when he'd given away some of the last book.

Kate froze as she found herself holding the stick as if Castle had given her a diamond encrusted gold bar. All of Castle's notes on his published works? And his unpublished works, both complete and unfinished! She remembered him making the offer of course, her lips tingled at the memory of her impulsive kiss on his cheek, but she hadn't thought he was serious, that he would actually trust her with such precious material.

"Rick...are you sure," she whispered.

"Of course," Castle said quietly. "As I said the other night, I'm actually quite looking forward to sharing this with you. There is stuff in there no one else has ever seen, stuff I've never been able to share before or discuss with anyone. Alexis has seen some of it but...you'll be the first person other than me to read a lot of it. I'll warn you now, I didn't try to sort or filter anything so there is A LOT of material on there. Some will be only a few paragraphs, others long enough to be books in their own right - if they were any good."

"I'm sure they'll be fantastic," Kate managed, her mind already wondering what treasures this stick held.

"Hardly," Castle said, laughing unexpectedly. Kate looked up to see his broad yet slightly nervous grin. "There is a reason that stuff is unpublished Kate, a lot of it is not very good. Believe me, I wrote it and I think it's terrible! And don't be afraid to tell me so either, I don't want you to pretend anything in there is good when it isn't, you won't hurt my feelings. I'm looking forward to having a proper discussion with you about some of that stuff and I don't want you sugar coating any of it."

"Castle, since when have I ever sugar coated anything?" Kate asked

"Wellll...not often I'll grant you...just don't start now, that's all I'm saying."

"I won't," Kate said looking down at the stick again. She carefully put it in her pocket and turned to face him.

"And you're really sure about this?"

"Completely," Castle said.

"Thank you Rick, I really mean that," Kate said.

"You're welcome detective," Castle replied.

"Kate," she said firmly. "I prefer it when you call me Kate...when we're not working of course."

Castle blinked at her in surprise. Kate didn't know what had made her say that but it was true. He called her Kate more often or not anyway and it seemed a small concession to make compared to the treasure he'd just bestowed on her.

"Of course Kate," Castle said with a smile. "On one condition..."

"What?" she asked warily.

"You continue calling me Rick, when we're not working of course...oh, and you stop resisting using that key to let yourself in."

"That's two conditions...," Kate said.

"I know," Rick replied unashamedly, holding out his hand to her. "Deal?"

Kate looked at his hand for a moment then grabbed it. What the hell. "Deal...Rick," she said.


	9. Chapter 9

Rick and Kate spent most of the following day at the SDG offices in the city, interviewing one after another of their vic's former colleagues. Their day had started with Richard Dawes III, grandson of the original 'Dawes' himself and a senior partner in the firm. The meeting with Dawes was awkward and difficult as the man didn't bother to hide the fact he didn't want to talk with them and that he wasn't particularly happy Kate wanted to interview Sarah's former boss and her co-workers. Kate had been forced to press him quite hard before he'd eventually relented and reluctantly allowed them to set up shop in a meeting room for the day. The SDG employees they subsequently talked to were happy enough to discuss what Sarah was like as a person; her likes and dislikes, where she went for lunch, who she socialised with, her relationships - all that sort of thing. But when it came to questions over what she did at SDG, what cases she worked on and who she may have had business meetings with they all became very guarded. 'I'm sorry,' they heard again and again from one interviewee after another. 'Client confidentiality prevents me from discussing that without a warrant.'

"I really hate dealing with lawyers," Kate grumbled when they finally left the building late in the afternoon. "'Client confidentiality', 'Attorney client privilege'," she parroted in frustration. "It's all a smokescreen - they've clearly been told to keep their mouths shut."

"From Dawes you think?" Rick asked as they got into her car.

"Probably. He clearly didn't want us there today and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he told them not to talk to us."

"Do you think he's hiding something?"

"Maybe, but whether it's related to our case or there's something else going on at SDG which he doesn't want the police investigating too deeply is another matter. But without a warrent to force his hand there's not much we can do about it."

Thejourney back to the precinct passed mainly in silence from that point on, with Rick being wise enough about his partner's mood to let her calm her irritation in peace. But in no time Kate was pulling in to her spot at the precinct car park and Rick found himself unclipping his belt and preparing to exit the car. He got halfway out of his seat before the jolt of agony in his side reminded him why standing suddenly had become a bad idea today. He cursed his own idiocy at forgetting about his injury and sagged back down again, one hand clutching at his side.

"Rick?" Kate asked worriedly as she hurried round to his side of her car. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah fine," Rick gasped, waving his free hand in her general direction.

"Your ribs again?" Kate asked and he nodded grimly.

It had happened during one of the breaks between interviews. He'd taken the opportunity to visit the little boys' room and had been making his way across from where they'd set up shop when a harassed looking young man carrying a dozen folders and files had crashed into him, knocking him voilently sideways and sending his own armful of documents and papers flying. He'd instinctively stuck out a hand to catch his balance but had not been quick enough to prevent the jarring collision with a sharp corner of an inconveniently placed filing cabinet against his ribs. The young man had apologised of course and he'd magnamously waved it away as an accident but it had hurt like hell ever since and it seemed the short car ride had been enough for it to have stiffened up to the point of serious discomfort.

"I don't know how he didn't see you," Kate muttered angrily from where she stood over him. She knelt down and despite the anger that had been in her tone she leant into the car and very gently traced her hand over his ribs. Surprised at her unexpected attention Rick held his breath, trying very hard to ignore the almost intimate feeling of her fingers softly caressing his side. He couldn't suppress a small groan however when she pressed a little more firmly on the point where his ribs had met the filing cabinet.

"Ouch," he said mockingly when she jerked her fingers away at his groan.

"You'll live," Kate said with an amused smile. "I don't think anything's broken but you should get Lanie to check it to be sure."

"No!" Rick said hurriedly. If he let Lanie take a look at it he would never hear the end of it from the guys! They'd go on for days, if not weeks, about how he couldn't even fend off a filing cabinet!

"Rick..." Kate began but he held up his hand to silence her.

"I'm fine Kate; you said it yourself, nothing broken. I just got a little stiff sitting in the car that's all and it caught me by surprise. It'll loosen up as I start to move around."

Kate gave him a long look then rolled her eyes. Rick was sure she muttered 'men' under her breath but she stood up and stepped back from him before crossing her arms as if to say 'ok, if you're alright you can get out of the car by yourself.' Rick took a moment to brace himself against the top of the car door then quickly levered his body up and out of the seat in one movement. Pain lanced up and down his side and he had to grip the door firmly to remain upright but after a moment or two the pain started to subside and he was able to take a tentative breath.

"Better?" Kate asked with more than a little touch of sarcasm.

"Much," Rick replied with as much controlled calm as he could manage. Kate simply shook her head at him and strode off towards the precinct. Rick closed the passenger door and gingerly walked off after her, pleased to note walking didn't seem to hurt as much as standing had done, a little uncomfortable perhaps but much, much more bearable. He was also pleasantly surprised to see Kate turn and wait for him to catch up - apparently her annoyance at his 'stubbornness' may not have _completely_ replaced her concern for his well being.

They made their way up the stairs into the 12th (more pain but manageable) and into the elevator. Rick rested against the wall as they ascended and gritted his teeth as the car jolted to a halt on their floor. After one last look at him Kate strode out of the elevator, back in full cop mode. He gingerly followed after her, half a step behind as usual. Esposito and Ryan were at their desks and the two detectives tossed greetings their way as they arrived and deposited their coats and jackets.

"Yo Beckett, Castle...how was your day with the vampires?"

"Painful," Rick said, allowing the two detectives to believe he meant metaphorical pain rather than physical.

"Bad?" Ryan asked sympathetically.

"Worse," Kate replied striding over to their murder board. "I'm not sure we got anything of real use out of any of them. A lot of stories, a lot of sadness, some of which may even have been real! But when it came down to anything of substance...nada!"

"Let me guess, 'attorney/client privilege'," Esposito said with a knowing grimace.

"You got it," Kate confirmed glumly. "What about you? Did you manage to get anything useful out of the boyfriend?"

"A little, yeah," Ryan said, flicking through his notepad. "Simon was much calmer today, still a little shell-shocked but he was in much better shape than he was on Saturday. We spoke to him for almost three hours and covered pretty much everything he knew about his fiancé."

"Including what she did at SDG." Rick asked eagerly, carefully perching himself on the edge of Kate's desk. After the incident getting out of Kate's car he didn't trust his side enough to risk sitting in his normal chair.

"Of course," Esposito said. "Or at least as much as Simon knew about it. It seemed that when it came to sharing our vic kept the details of what she did fairly close to her chest. Simon claimed it was because they both respected their client's privacy and he may well have been right - everything we've learnt about her so far tells us she was diligent in everything she did."

"So you got nothing from him about what cases she was working on?" Kate asked, her shoulders sagging slightly.

"Not completely nothing," Ryan said with a grin. "Our vic may have kept her cards close but it's impossible to live with someone and not allow things to slip out."

Rick cringed at his choice of words and risked a sidelong glance at Kate to see if she had picked up on Ryan's inadvertent link to their current situation. Kate kept her gaze firmly on the Irish detective but Rick could almost sense the effort of will she was exerting not to glance his way. Not for the first time he was glad they'd told Ryan and Esposito of their 'situation'.

"Which were...?" Kate prompted Ryan.

"Simon told us she'd recently started work on a big case. She hadn't told him in so many words but he was sure she was doing something for one of the partners. It was all very hush hush but knowing her as well as he did he knew she was excited to be chosen for the task."

"Does Simon have any idea which partner?" Rick asked hopefully.

"No," Esposito confirmed. "Apparently she never told him and he was loath to guess."

"Dawes oversees her department," Rick said turning to face Kate.

"Doesn't prove anything but...it certainly makes him the likeliest candidate for the mystery partner."

"Dawes?" Ryan asked. "As in Steer, Dawes and Gleaves Dawes?"

"Not quite," Kate replied, absently tapping a marker pen against her chin in thought. "He's the grandson of the original Dawes. Very proud of his 'family' business..."

"...and very protective of its reputation," Rick said, finishing her thought. Other than his obvious wish not to talk to them the only thing which Rick had taken from their interview with Richard Dawes III was that he didn't want his precious law firm to be associated with Sarah's murder. He went on and on about all the hard work he and his father and his grandfather before him had put in to building SDG into what it was today and it was clear he feared how the murder of one of his employees would affect his firm's reputation.

"Very," Kate said in agreement. She turned to the board and added the name of Richard Dawes to the persons of interest list. "Esposito, Ryan, let's see what we can learn about the current partners of SDG, and in particular the esteemed Richard Dawes the third. Can't hurt to see what you can dig up on his father and grandfather as well..."

* * *

The two detectives retreated to their respective desks to get on with the task she had given them. Kate returned to her own desk and fired up her computer as Rick gingerly lowered himself into his normal seat beside her. There were a few new reports from forensics in her inbox, although thankfully nowhere near as many as there had been yesterday. She gritted her teeth before once more delving into the nitty gritty of their case, hoping for but not expecting more luck with today's findings. She printed out the half dozen reports and passed half to Rick as normal. He took the reports from her without a word of complaint, which was unusual enough for Kate to look up to see if he was feeling alright. She looked closely at his face and could see the tightness around his eyes which betrayed the fact he was in some discomfort - the fool man didn't want to admit it but the blow he'd taken to his ribs was clearly hurting him.

Without a word she reached into a drawer and after a moment's search pulled out a bottle of pain-killers and slid them across the desk towards him. Bumps and bruises were part and parcel of everyday life as a cop and she knew she wasn't alone amongst her colleagues in having a bottle or packet of one painkiller or another close to hand. Rick stared at the bottle for a moment then looked up to catch her eye with a lopsided smile of gratitude. He pocketed the painkillers then levered himself slowly out of his chair, with a grimace of discomfort which, with his back to the guys, only she could see. He stilled his features before turning to ask the guys if they wanted a drink. At their affirmative response he walked off in the direction of the elevator, no doubt to quietly take a couple of pills whilst he was getting the coffee. He hadn't asked her if she'd wanted anything but she knew he would bring her back a cup of her favourite variety anyway - it was just one of those things she could simply rely on.

Kate turned her attention to the forensics reports in front of her but after a few minutes she found her concentration wavering as she wondered what was taking Rick so long to get the coffee? Did it normally take him this long? Was the blow to his side even more serious then he was letting on? Blows to the ribs could be tricky affairs; maybe he had cracked a rib after all? She'd only seen the accident from across the office but had heard the solid thump as he'd hit the filing cabinet with a fair bit of force. Kate was on the verge of getting up to go and check on him when Rick finally appeared from the direction of the elevator, carefully balancing four coffee cups in their cardboard holder in one hand whilst holding a bag of something in the other.

Kate turned back to the reports in relief at his appearence but her attention was soon diverted again when Rick settled in to his seat a few moments later and slid her coffee over to her, along with a half open bag from which emanated the irresistible smell of warm, fresh pastry. Kate took a sip of her coffee, trying to ignore the enticing offering but the growling of her stomach reminded her she'd not eaten since a very light breakfast that morning. Sighing in defeat she reached into the bag and dug out a warm, tasty looking pastry.

"Thanks," Kate said as Rick handed her a napkin. She immediately felt a hard shape hidden within the napkin and knew he was returning the bottle of painkillers she'd passed over to him earlier. She glanced at the ceiling in exasperation at his over the top subterfuge but didn't comment as she slid the bottle out and quietly placed it back in her drawer.

"I think I should be the one thanking you," Rick said quietly. He paused to look around and then leaned in slightly closer, keeping his voice low so only she could hear. "That blessed bottle was not the only thing I found in my pocket..."

Kate raised an eyebrow, surely he wasn't resorting to _that_ poor a level of innuendo!? He must be in real pain, or perhaps had taken too many of the pain meds, if he thought she would respond to that kind of suggestion. "Castle...," she said warningly.

"Not _that_ detective," Rick said with an amused smile. "Although...no, now's not the time. What I meant was it seems my 'accident' earlier on today was perhaps not quite the accident it appeard to be after all. I found this in my pocket..." Rick said as he passed a crumpled looking note over to her.

Kate eyed it suspiciously, unsure what was going on but at Rick's silent urging she carefully smoothed the piece of paper on her desk.

**Can't talk here, these walls have ears. **

**Meet me at 8.00pm in the Starbucks on the corner of Broadway and Reade and I'll tell you everything you need to know.**

Kate read the note through a couple of times then turned it over. There was nothing else. No name, nothing to indicate who had written the note or when.

"Castle, are you sure that this is from today...?" Kate asked, looking up at him.

"Positive," Rick said with certainty. "This jacket is fresh back from the dry cleaners and today is the first time I've worn it. That note wasn't there when I put it on this morning so someone must have put it there today and as we've only been two places today...it had to come from somebody at SDG. It could have been put there by anyone but that guy who bumped in to me...you said yourself you don't know how he didn't see me. What if he did? What if he knew very well I was there and used the 'accident' as cover to slip the note into my pocket?"

"I don't know," Kate said slowly, worrying at her bottom lip with her teeth. "It all seems a little over the top don't you think? Staging that accident just to pass you a note? Meeting in a busy coffee shop? Seems like something out of a bad spy movie."

"Well, maybe the guy has seen more films than are good for him but we both know _something's_ going on at SDG and it's going to be very hard if not impossible to get to the bottom of what it is without help - which going by today is not likely to be 'officially' forthcoming. We haven't had a single lead of any substance in this case so far and this could be just what we need."

Rick's tone was laced with excitement and anticipation and Kate was forced to admit he was at least partially right. They had no solid leads on this case so far, nothing other than a general feeling the law firm was somehow linked to their vic's death. But without solid evidence, no judge in the city was going to give them a warrant to force SDG to give up confidential client information. They needed _something, _an edge of some kind which would give them a place to start looking, something to build a case on. She didn't like the idea of a cloak and dagger meeting with an unknown - she'd been in similar situations before and they'd not gone well - but she couldn't deny they needed something, _anything_, otherwise they might never be able to solve this case.

"Ok, fine," she said reluctantly. "We'll go meet this mystery guy. But..." Kate held her hand up to stall whatever Rick had been about to say. "But we aren't going in without backup." She stood and called the guys over to them before Rick had any chance to protest. Kate knew he would want to do this alone, just the two of them...their mystery informant wasn't the only one who had seen too many bad spy films! Kate showed the guys the note and sent them on ahead, so they could be 'happen' to be at the coffee shop as normal customers, just in case something went awry with the proposed meeting and Kate needed backup.

Rick sulked a bit after the two detectives had left to get into position but Kate ignored his pouting complaints, knowing it would soon pass as the excitement over their pending meet mounted. Sure enough, by the time the two of them left the precinct Rick was pretty much back to his normal self, speculating wildly about what they were going to find out from their mystery man. Kate endured his enthusiasm without comment, her mind more focused on what was to come than what he was saying, although she did note that the either the pain meds or the distraction seemed to have done wonders for Rick's bruised ribs!

When they entered the coffee shop about 20 minutes later it was very busy, with only one or two tables free. Kate looked around and easily spotted Ryan and Esposito who had managed to secure a table with a good view of the entire shop. The two detectives gave no sign they'd seen them entering but Kate knew they were aware she and Rick had arrived and would be ready to step in at the first sign of any trouble. She headed for one of the two remaining free tables after suggesting Rick should get them some drinks. It took about five minutes for him to work his way through the queue and to find his way over to their table with drinks in hand but no one had approached her during that time, despite the steady stream of people going in and out of the shop.

"So how's the book coming on?" Kate asked Rick. "I didn't get around to asking last night whether you'd managed to incorporate your idea into the story or not...no details!" She added in warning.

"The book...? Oh right, yes," Rick said, cottoning on quickly to their need to seem like any other couple, companionably sharing small talk over drinks. "Actually yes I did, with a few small adjustments and changes it actually came together quite nicely. I know you won't let me go into the details but I don't think it will be giving anything away to say I think you'll like this particular twist. It adds something to Nikki which..."

"Castle...," Kate said warningly, feeling he was coming to close to giving things away again - and she hated that!

"...which I think you'll really appreciate," Rick finished with barely a pause. "See, no spoilers...just building the anticipation a bit, making you want the book to be ready that little bit sooner..."

"Gee, thanks," Kate said sarcastically. Sometimes she hated that he knew just how much she loved reading his work; at how easily he could tease her on the subject. The thought of his books reminded her of the memory stick he'd given her last night, which currently sat on her dresser back at Rick's loft. She'd been so tempted just to open it up and peek at the contents when they'd eventually called it a night last night. But they'd sat up talking until late and she'd reluctantly decided she couldn't afford to look at the files, not if she wanted any sleep before today's busy day. She knew she'd not have been able to stop at just a peek; she'd never been able to do that with _any_ of his published works so why would this be any different? If she'd given in to the urge to look she would have been up for _hours_ and been useless for today. Although, given how frustrating this day had turned out to be so far it may not have made all that much difference!

"Penny for them?" Rick asked, drawing her attention back to the here and now.

"What?" Kate replied.

"A penny for your thoughts? You completely zoned out there for a while..."

"Our case," Kate lied, feeling a slow blush of embarrassment climb her cheeks at being caught out.

"Have you had an idea?"

"Uh...," Kate stalled, caught out in her lie. Fortunately, she was saved from trying to dig herself out of her self-made hole as she recognised the man who had just entered the shop.

"Castle, your fellow 'accident' victim is here," she hissed at her partner. Predictably he turned in his seat to look towards the entrance...it was a good job he wasn't actually a spy otherwise their cover would've already been blown! Fortunately, their 'mystery' man was just as bad as Rick and he started in surprise when Rick turned to look at him, before making his way over to their table.

"Detectives, thanks for meeting me here - I wasn't sure you would get my note..."

"Oh I got it all right, and quite a few bruises to go with it," Rick replied, a little accusingly.

"Ah, yes...sorry about that. I didn't have much time and bumping into you was the best I could come up with on short notice. I didn't think you'd clatter into that cabinet quite like you did...although I have to say it did create a great distraction!"

"Thanks," Rick replied sourly, surreptitiously rubbing his ribs under his jacket.

"Well, however you planted your note we're here now Mr..." Kate said, impatient to move the conversation towards more useful territory.

"Daniels, Kevin Daniels," Daniels said.

"Mr Daniels," Kate said, trying to ignore the way he given his name. "Your note suggested you have some information for us which could help identify Sarah's killer?"

"Oh, I can do more than that...I can tell you who killed her!" Daniels said.

"Who?" Rick asked eagerly.

"Dawes," Daniels said, almost spitting the name out.

"Dawes? As in Richard Dawes? Senior partner at SDG?"

"Yeah that Dawes," Daniels confirmed.

"And you know this how...?" Kate asked with some suspicion at Daniels pronouncement. Dawes had come across as caring more about his firm's reputation than the death of one of his employees but she would need some real hard evidence before Gates would even consider allowing her to go after somebody like Dawes. As a senior partner in SDG he would have a lot of connections to some very influential people and she'd need something rock solid before the Captain would even entertain the thought of bringing him in.

"I've seen what he's been up to, who he's been dealing with...some very serious people who wouldn't hesitate to take someone out if they got in their way...just like they did with Sarah. She had no idea what Dawes was getting her in to..."

Daniels tailed off and hung his head. Kate looked over at Rick and he just shrugged as if to say 'what have we got to lose?' Kate sighed, she wasn't sure this was going to be a good idea but Rick was right, they really did have nothing to lose.

"Mr Daniels, Kevin. I think it might be better if we start from the beginning. How did you know Sarah? You weren't on our list of her co-workers but you obviously work at SDG..."

"I'm not surprised I wasn't on your list. Those stuck up idiots often forget about us! Their whole world would fall apart if we weren't there but most of them wouldn't even recognise us outside the office. Only a few of them even acknowledge we exist, like Sarah. She was special, always kind and gentle...she didn't deserve what Dawes did to her..."

'Interesting', Kate thought. Davies clearly held their vic in high regard.

"So, what do you do at SDG then?" she asked.

"Document Management Executive," Daniels replied. "Without me and my assistants the suits wouldn't know where anything was - they'd be out of business in a week if it wasn't for me, Ron and Lenny."

"Ron and Lenny?" Kate asked.

"My assistants," Daniels said. "They work for me, I'm their boss."

"Document Management Executive?" Rick mused from beside her. "So, you're kind of...a filing clerk then?"

"No, no! I'm a Document Management Executive!" Daniels protested.

"Ok, right, sorry. So you 'manage' the files for SDG, then? You and Ron and...Lenny was it? You make sure that everyone gets the files they need when they need them?"

"Yes," Daniels said. "But we do more than just that. We're also responsible for managing the disposal of documents once they're no longer needed."

'Great,' Kate thought. Their 'informant' was a jumped up filing clerk with delusions of grandeur! This was looking more and more like a waste of time by the minute. "So you saw something in the files? Something which proves Dawes had something to do with Sarah's death?" she asked anyway. Daniels grip on the reality of his job may be a little uncertain but he might still have seen something useful and if he could back that up with documentary evidence...

"Kind of, yeah," Daniels said.

"Kind of?" Kate pressed.

"Yeah. I was given some files to dispose of and...well we're not supposed to look but you know it's real boring shredding files and, you know, you've got to do _something_ whilst the files are going through the machine! So I like, you know, recognised this name on one of the documents so I held it back, to give me something to pass the time whilst everything else went through the machine."

"And what was the name?" Rick asked.

"What?" Daniels said.

"The name? You said you recognised a name on the document which is why you held it back?" Rick prompted.

"Oh, yeah right. That name. Yeah, I recognised it all right: Danny Petrucci."

"Danny Petrucci? As in the head of one of this city's biggest crime families?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought. I thought what were we doing with a file on Petrucci? That's why I held it back, to see what it said."

"And what did it say?" Kate asked, intrigued despite herself. She didn't want to get too carried away with this but Daniels may actually have stumbled on something of real value! She'd always had a feeling their vic's death had been a professional job, right from the moment she'd seen the scene. And someone like Petrucci would certainly have had the means to arrange for a professional hit.

"That we were engaged to defend Petrucci at some trial or other and Dawes himself was the lead attorney - which I immediately thought was unusual. The file contained a lot of boring paperwork about some kind of financial irregularities in Petrucci's businesses which made no sense to me but one thing did jump out - Petrucci was going to do jail time if we didn't win the case!"

"And what did Sarah have to do with all this?" Rick asked.

"Her name was on the file as well. Dawes wouldn't sully himself with doing any real work - he was using her to do all the research."

"So Sarah was looking into the Petrucci businesses?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So, this file you read, the one which links Sarah to Dawes and Petrucci - do you still have it?"

"Still have it?" Daniels asked, looking somewhat perplexed.

"Yes, have you got it somewhere safe?"

"Safe? No...I shredded it when I finished reading it."

"You shredded it...?" Kate asked not quite sure she'd heard him right.

"Yes, I told you, that's part of my job," Daniels said with some puzzlement.

"So, let me get this straight," Rick put in as Kate sat back in disbelief. "You read a file which links one of the senior partners at SDG to Danny Petrucci and that same file proves our victim was investigating Petrucci's businesses...and you shredded it?"

"Yes."

"So there is nothing left of the file? Nothing which links SDG to Petrucci?" Kate asked.

"No. There may be other documents though; we have thousands on all different sorts of cases and clients."

Kate looked over at Rick and he shook his head at her, communicating his disappointment without the need for voicing any words. She'd thought it was a long shot coming here and whilst they had learned something which gave them an idea where to go next with their case without any actual evidence...

"Do you have anything else for us Mr Daniels?" Kate asked.

"More? What more do you need? Dawes had Sarah killed because she was the only one other than him to know what he was doing with Petrucci!"

"And we will look into that," Kate promised.

"Look into it? Look into it?" Daniels exclaimed loudly. Kate saw Esposito look up from the table he shared with Ryan and she silently motioned for him to stay where he was. "You should be arresting Dawes right now, dragging him down to the station and forcing him to confess what he did to Sarah, how he killed her to keep her silent!"

"Calm down Mr Daniels," Kate said. "I promise you, we will look in to what you've said and if we find any evidence..." such as the file you destroyed Kate added silently to herself "...we will question the relevant individuals and take appropriate action..."

"Appropriate action!" Daniels exclaimed. "I knew it was a mistake, talking to you. Cops, you're as bad as the suits! Always around but when you actually need them to do something useful...useless!" And with that he stood and strode angrily out of the coffee shop.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hopefully this will be a slightly lighter and fluffier chapter than the previous one, with much less case and much more Kate and Rick - with a little bit of Alexis and Lanie thrown in for good measure.**

**And just for CastleCrazie, I haven't forgotten about Meredith and she will be back soon to help mix things up a little :-)**

* * *

Kate sat in Rick's kitchen by herself. She'd been up for quite a while, brooding over their case and yesterday's meeting with Kevin Daniels. Ryan and Esposito had followed the 'Document Management Executive' after he'd stormed out of the coffee shop and reported he'd gone straight to a local bar and seemed intent on spending the rest of the evening trying to drink the place dry. She'd sent the guys home, feeling it was unlikely they'd learn anything useful from watching Daniels drink himself into a stupor. She'd returned to Rick's loft and spent the evening discussing with her partner what Daniels had told them. But when they'd called it a night they still hadn't been able to come up with any workable strategies for following up on anything he'd claimed...not without the evidence he'd seemingly destroyed. And so they had no choice but to return to trawling through what evidence they did have to see if there _was_ anything there which could be linked to Dawes or SDG. Kate had no real expectation they'd find anything linked to the Danny Petrucci, even if it turned out the notorious crime boss was somehow involved in all this.

With no sign of either Castle when she'd come down the stairs Kate had helped herself to a simple breakfast, reasoning that Rick had told her again and again to treat his home as if it was hers whilst she was here. But she'd finished her meal more than 20 minutes ago and she was starting to become somewhat irritated at Rick's non-appearance. Before they'd both retreated to their beds last night he'd promised he would be up early to accompany her into the station to help her trawl through their evidence one more time. But there was no sign of the writer and it was past time they should be heading into the precinct. With time ticking by Kate growled in frustration before walking over towards his bedroom.

"Rick," she hissed, knocking loudly on the door "Are you awake?"

"Kate?" came the immediate reply.

"Who else would it be?" Kate replied irritably. If the fool man was awake why wasn't he up and ready like he'd said he would be? Or he could have at least come and told her he was not going to come in until later so she could have left rather than waste time sitting around waiting for his lazy ass!

"I'm going in to the precinct, are you coming with me or not?" she asked. Kate heard a creak as if Rick had stood up from his bed. She expected him to open his door to apologise for his laziness but instead of footsteps there was a sudden crash from behind the door and an exclamation of pain. She started in surprise before coming to her senses and yanking his door open.

"Rick?" Kate called out as she hurried into the room. "Rick? Are you ok?"

As her eyes adjusted to the dim interior of Rick's bedroom she made out the unmistakeable shape of her partner lying flat on his back on his bed, his hands pressed against his ribs and his eyes screwed up in pain.

"No," Rick managed to say through gritted teeth.

She flicked the light switch beside the door and moved over to her stricken partner. With the light now on she could see his face was much paler than usual and his forehead covered in a sheen of perspiration. She gently lifted his hands always from his ribs and lifted up his T-shirt to examine the spot where he'd collided with the filing cabinet. She grimaced at the ugly purple and yellow bruise which was revealed, larger than her hand it stretched across several of his ribs and looked excruciatingly painful - which going by Rick's pale face and clenched teeth it evidently was.

"Rick," Kate whispered in concern. "That looks really bad!"

"You should experience it form this end," Rick muttered. "Hurts like hell! I tried to get up but..."

But he'd obviously been unable to, Kate surmised, which was why he hadn't put in his expected appearance at breakfast. And then of course she'd knocked on his door and the idiot had somehow forced himself to his feet for a few moments before evidently being overcome by the pain and collapsing back down on to his bed.

"Why didn't you shout out?" Kate said with some exasperation. "Here, let me help you." She grabbed a couple of his pillows and placed them against his headboard. She then carefully reached around him, studiously avoiding the damaged area of his chest and gently placed her arm under his shoulder. "Ready?"

"No," Rick said before nodding once.

"Ok, on the count of three. One...two...three..." Kate tried to take as much of Rick's weight as possible as she levered him up into a sitting position, propping him up against the pillows she'd set against his headboard. The movement had been slight but it was still enough to illicit a groan of pain from Rick.

"You need to see a doctor," she said, her voice filled with concern for her partner's well being.

"What, no...I'll be fine!" Rick said, waving a hand dismissively at her. "It's just stiffened up overnight that's all. Just give me a few moments and some more of those wonderful painkillers of yours and I'll be ready to come into the precinct in no time."

"No! Rick you can barely sit up! There's no way you're coming into the precinct...not until you've seen a doctor!"

"Kate, I'll be fine, really..."

"No! I mean it Rick. No doctor, no precinct."

"Kate...," Rick started to say as he shifted around towards her but the movement clearly pulled at his injured side as whatever else he was about to say died on his lips. He took a few, slow careful breaths before trying again. "Maybe you're right," he reluctantly admitted.

"You think?" She moved away from his bed and grabbed his cell, which was sitting conveniently on a dresser.

"Ummm, why are you...?" Rick asked, indicating his phone in her hand.

"I presume you have your doctor's number on your phone?" Kate replied.

"Oh, right...um, yeah, yeah it is."

Kate scrolled though his ridiculously extensive contact list (it seemed he had _everybody_ in the city's number on his phone!) before she eventually found the right number and hit the call button. After several rings an answer phone clicked on to say that the office would open at half past nine.

"Great," Kate muttered as she ended the call.

"What's wrong?" Rick asked.

"Answer phone. Apparently there won't be anyone there for another couple of hours."

"Oh. Well, I can wait," Rick said.

Kate hesitated for a moment, she knew Rick was probably fine, that it was likely to be nothing more than bad bruising - god knows she'd taken enough hits in her time to know just how much bruising around the ribs hurt. But she was worried if it might be something more sinister - cops always got tested if they got shot in their vest and they were warned again and again of the dangers of internal bleeding. No, she wouldn't take that risk, Rick wouldn't like it but...she scrolled down more entries in his address book until she saw the name she was looking for. She took one quick look over at her partner before turning slightly away from him and hitting the call button again.

"Who are you calling now?" Rick asked in puzzlement but Kate ignored his question as she waited for the call to connect. It seemed to take forever but eventually she heard a ringing tone and then Lanie's familiar drawl.

"Castle?" Lanie said in a slightly puzzled tone, no doubt wondering why the writer was phoning her so early.

"Not quite," Kate said, smiling into the mouthpiece as she imagined Lanie's reaction to hearing her voice instead of Rick's.

"Kate!" Lanie exclaimed. "Why on earth are you calling me on Castle's cell?"

"Long story. Look, could you do me a favour and come by Castle's place?"

"Uh, yeah, sure...why? You haven't hurt him have you?" Lanie asked at the same time as Rick again asked who she was talking too.

"No," Kate said, with a small laugh. "Not this time! Castle lost an argument with a filing cabinet yesterday and badly bruised his ribs. I don't think the clumsy fool managed to break anything..." Rick started to object but she ignored his protests over her somewhat un-flattering description of his 'accident'. "...But he had difficulty getting out of the car yesterday and now it seems he can't get out of bed without my help so I thought it..."

"What?" Lanie interrupted. "Wait. Say that again?"

"Castle fell into a filing cabinet when we were out interviewing yesterday..." She started to say but Lanie interrupted her again.

"Not that! The last bit! That he couldn't get out of bed without _your_ help..."

Kate closed her eyes. She'd not paid close enough attention to what she was saying and who she was saying it too! God, Rick had been so right at how hard it was to not let things slip when you least expect it!

"Lanie," Kate said patiently. "When Castle didn't show for breakfast as expected I went looking for him and _found_ him in his room, unable to stand up without help..."

"You called Lanie," Rick said with a groan as he finally discovered who she was talking too.

"Sshh Rick. She can help. I don't want that going unchecked any longer!" Kate said whilst covering the mouthpiece with her hand. She took the hand away from the cell and returned her attention to the M.E.

"So you're quite comfortable walking into Castle's room then?" Lanie was asking in an amused tone. Kate gritted her teeth, _that_ was all she'd taken out of what she'd said!?

"Look Lanie," Kate said, trying to draw her friend's attention away from her current location and back to the matter at hand. "Please can you just come by and check him out for me? The bruising looks really bad and..." she lowered her voice, "and you know the kind of warnings we get," she said. There was a long pause and Kate momentarily wondered if Rick's cell had died or if it had lost its signal but Lanie voice eventually answered, her tone soft and reassuring with all traces of amusement gone.

"Sure Kate, I'll be there as soon as I can ok?" Lanie said

"Thanks Lanie," Kate said with relief.

"No problem, I'll be there in about 20 minutes," Lanie replied before cutting the call. Kate set Rick's cell back on to the cabinet from where she'd retrieved it and looked over at her partner.

"Well?" he asked, sounding slightly disgruntled.

"She said she'd be here in about 20 minutes," Kate replied.

"Great!" he grumbled. "Why did you have to call Lanie of all people? She's probably already telling Esposito and then he'll tell Ryan and I'll never hear the end of it..."

"No, I don't think she will," Kate said quietly.

"How do you know that? You said they were back together again. How do you know he wasn't listening in on your call?"

"Just trust me Rick ok. I know Lanie and I know she won't tell anyone, not even Esposito."

"Doesn't look like I have much choice now does it?" Rick grumbled.

"No, not really." Kate said, smiling sweetly at him. It was true, he was practically at her mercy right now! "Is there anything you want before she gets here?" she asked.

"No," Rick replied in a sulky tone. Kate fought the urge to roll her eyes at him; he was hurt she told herself...she had to make some allowances.

"Not even something to eat, or drink?" she asked.

Rick seemed to struggle with himself for a moment but as she'd guessed it might, hunger seemed to win out over irritation. "Fine," he said. "If you're going to subject me to Lanie's ministrations - you know she normally deals with dead people right? - then the least you can do is feed me first."

"So generous of you," Kate muttered. "I'll go and make you some breakfast. You stay right there!"

"Ha!" replied as she walked out of his room. "It's not as if I have a choice now is it?"

Kate did roll her eyes at him then, knowing he couldn't see her. It seemed all men were the same whenever they were sick, her father had been terrible even when she was a little girl (she determinedly did not dwell on what he'd been like when on the bottle) and when Will had come down with the 'flu during their time together...you'd have thought he was at death's door! Lost in these thoughts Kate didn't realise she was not alone until she looked up at a genteel cough to see Alexis sitting at the kitchen counter. She immediately felt her cheeks warm as she realised that to Rick's daughter she'd just come from her father's bedroom!

"Ah, Alexis..." Kate stammered.

"Good morning Kate," Alexis said brightly. "Sleep well?" she asked, innocence personified. Kate groaned inwardly, first Lanie now Alexis...and it wasn't even 8 o'clock yet!

"Err...yes. Um, about..." she started to say, waving vaguely in the direction of Rick's room.

"Stop!" Alexis said, holding up her hand. "I _really _don't want to know..."

"There's nothing to know!" Kate interrupted hurriedly. "Alexis, your father hurt himself yesterday and it seems to be worse than we thought...I was just checking why he wasn't up and ready and found him in his room, unable to get up."

The pained expression of a put upon teenager had disappeared from Alexis' face the moment Kate had said her father was hurt and she'd gasped in horror when she'd added that Rick couldn't get up. Alexis was up out of her seat in a shot and Kate only just managed to grab her before she ran off to her father's room.

"Kate, let go of me!" Alexis exclaimed, struggling to free herself from Kate's grasp. But Kate had restrained many bigger and stronger people than Alexis in her time and she was easily able to hold on.

"Alexis, wait...let me finish first. Your father is fine, it's just some bad bruising on his ribs that's all. It's very sore and is making it difficult for him to stand up but he's fine..."

"Are you sure?" Alexis said, ceasing her struggle to break free from Kate's grasp but looking up at her with concern. "What if he's done something serious? If it's so bad he can't stand up then he needs to see a doctor!" she exclaimed.

"Sshh," Kate said as soothingly as she could. She didn't have a great deal of experience with kids, let alone teenagers, but she was used to calming witnesses and distraught relatives and she'd found the generic 'sshh' worked more often than not. "I've already called your father's doctor and got no reply. Lanie is on her way over to check him out; she'll be here in a few minutes."

"Dr. Parish is coming here?" Alexis repeated Kate's words back to her.

"Yes, I just got off the phone with her. Your father's not very happy with me calling her over but I thought it was better to get him checked out anyway, just in case. Ok?"

Alexis looked at her for a few seconds before suddenly moving in to embrace her tightly.

"Thank you Kate," Alexis said into her chest. Kate blinked in surprise but after a moment tentatively hugged Rick's daughter back. She found she was insanely pleased and touched at Alexis' gesture of approval. Alexis broke the embrace after a moment or two and stepped back, looking perhaps a trifled embarrassed. Kate straightened her jacket and shifted awkwardly from one foot to another, uncertain at what to do next.

"So how is he, really?" Alexis asked quietly, breaking the awkward moment.

"Grumpy," Kate replied honestly. "I don't think he likes being in pain and as I said he wasn't too happy with me calling Lanie in - I think he thinks it will ruin his macho image with the guys or something."

"Oh really?" Alexis replied. "Well, I'll soon put him right on that! You did the right thing and he shouldn't be giving you grief for it! Hah, left to his own devices he would never see a doctor of any kind..." Alexis trailed off as she turned and strode purposely towards her father's door. Kate momentarily felt sorry for her partner, imagining the ear bashing he was about to receive from his only child. But then she remembered he probably deserved every word of it so with a slight hum she turned towards the kitchen and set about making a simple breakfast for Rick.

* * *

Lanie arrived about half an hour after they'd spoken on Rick's phone, not bad time considering it was the morning rush hour but it seemed an eternity to Kate as she hovered near the front door waiting for her friend to arrive.

"Lanie," Kate said in relief when the knock finally came and she opened the door to see her standing there.

"Who else were you expecting?" Lanie asked with a wry smile.

"Come in, come in," Kate said, choosing not to answer that question as she stood aside to allow Lanie to enter.

"So, where's our patient then?" Lanie asked immediately after Kate closed the door.

"Still in his room. Alexis is with him."

"Well, you'd better lead on," Lanie said with a small smile. "He may be used to you coming and going from his room as you please but my arriving in his inner sanctum is another matter..."

"Lanie...," Kate said warningly before turning on her heel and leading the M.E. towards Rick's room. She knocked on the closed door and opened it enough to call inside. "Rick, Lanie's here." she said before stepping back as she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Alexis flung her father's door wide open and smiled up at the both of them.

"Dr Parish. Thank you so much for coming!"

"It's no problem Alexis," Lanie said, returning Alexis' smile with a warm one of her own. Kate knew Lanie was very fond of Rick's daughter but who wasn't? She'd once told Rick the guys looked upon his daughter as over-protective uncles and there was a great deal of truth behind that jest. "How is your father?"

"Bad tempered," Alexis warned. "But I told him to be on his best behaviour as you've taken time out of your day to come over here to make sure he's ok."

Alexis stood aide and Kate followed her friend into Rick's bedroom. Rick was still propped up on the pillows where she'd left him earlier on, the tray on which she'd brought in his breakfast off to one side.

"Castle," Lanie said as she set her bag down and approached Rick. "Kate tells me you've been fighting with some office equipment?"

"Something like that," Rick said with a grimace.

"Well, let's take a look at you." Lanie said.

Rick reluctantly pulled his covers down and his T-shirt up to expose the deep purple and yellow bruise on his side. Kate winced internally at the sight of his chest, which if anything looked even worse now than it had just half an hour before!

"Hmmm," Lanie said. "That does look nasty." She gently ran her fingers over Rick's side and Kate could see her partner wincing at her touch. Alexis, who was standing next to her, looked quite pale and Kate instinctively reached out and put her arm around the younger woman's shoulder...ostensibly to comfort Rick's daughter but Kate also felt a sudden need to hold on to Alexis as Lanie continued her examination of Rick's damaged side.

"Are you having any trouble breathing?" Lanie asked Rick.

"It hurts to take a deep breath," Rock admitted. "But I can breathe normally without too much discomfort."

"Good, good. But it hurts to move? To get up?"

"Like hell. It wasn't too bad yesterday but this morning..."

"Hmmm, can you roll onto your right side a bit?" Lanie asked.

Rick did as he was told and Kate found herself gripping onto Alexis even tighter as he grimaced in pain. Lanie gently probed his side and then pulled a stethoscope from her bag. She placed it on Rick's chest and commanded him to take as deep a breath as possible. Rick complied and Lanie listened intently. She asked him to take several more deep breaths, moving the stethoscope around each time before she told him to lie back down against the pillows.

"Well the good news is I don't think anything is broken," Lanie said, straightening up and putting her stethoscope away. "But you've definitely badly bruised the ribs and you won't be up on your feet for a couple of days at least."

"So nothing serious then?" Kate asked, releasing a breath she hadn't even realised she'd been holding.

"No, I don't think so," Lanie confirmed. "If the rib was cracked or broken then he'd be having much more trouble breathing and if he was bleeding internally...well he'd be in a lot worse shape than he is. I can prescribe some strong painkillers but the best thing for him to do is to rest up for a couple of days, let his body deal with the bruising and swelling."

"Oh thank you," Alexis said, leaving Kate's side to embrace Lanie.

"No worries honey," Lanie said. "Just make sure he takes it easy for a couple of days ok?"

"Oh, don't worry, I will!" Alexis said.

"Hey, don't I get a say in this," Rick said from where he lay on his bed.

"No," Kate, Lanie and Alexis all said in unison. They looked at each other and then burst out laughing whilst Rick grumbled something about being surrounded by over-protective women.

* * *

Kate eventually made it into the precinct just before ten, after making sure Rick and his daughter had everything they needed for the day. She probably didn't need to do that, the two of them had survived for many years without her being there, but she couldn't help to feel an urge to make sure everything was ok. The guys had given her an odd look when she'd arrived so late, which everyone knew was most unlike her and had asked some probing questions as to why Rick wasn't with her. She'd managed to fob them off with a story about following up on a lead and said Rick had been called in by his publishers for some meetings which he couldn't get out of. She even managed to make it sound like Rick's work might keep him busy for a while, which would give him an excuse not to be in the precinct for the next couple of days.

Much to their chagrin, she'd told the guys that they needed to go through their evidence once again, this time looking for anything which might link back to Daniels' story about Dawes & Petrucci. They tried to protest but she shut them up by reminding them she also had to do the same thing. And so Kate found herself spending the entire day, going through the same files she'd already read for about the fourth time, looking for something new which she doubted was even there. And without Rick by her side the job was doubly hard as she had to go through every file herself, checking and double checking to make sure she didn't miss anything.

The only break in her day came when Gates called her in for an update on the case. Kate had to tell her they'd made little progress; that the only lead they had was on the word of a disillusioned SDG employee who had shredded the only evidence he'd had. Gates had told her to keep at it, to dig deeper but as expected had warned her to stay away from Dawes unless they had hard evidence. She told her to keep her appraised, especially if anything did come to light about Danny Petrucci (Gates could clearly see the potential career enhancing or destroying possibilities of going after Petrucci) but otherwise seemed happy Kate and her team were doing everything they could.

When she eventually called time on the day and sent everyone home they'd each been through their various files several times and nothing new had come to light. If Dawes was involved he'd been smart enough to stay away from the scene of the crime and no one was surprised to find not even the slightest hint of the involvement of the Petrucci's. Was not physically tiring, spending the entire day neck deep in reports was mentally exhausting so Kate was tired and bone weary when she eventually got back to Rick's loft that evening, letting herself in without even the slightest thought or concern about doing so. It was amazing how quickly she'd adapted to doing this simple thing, once she'd accepted the inevitability of it. The living area of Rick's loft was quiet but Kate could see his bedroom door was open and his light was on. She dumped her bag and coat by the front door, slipped off her shoes with a grateful sigh and padded across to look in on her injured partner.

"Rick?" She said, tapping on his door.

"Kate? Come in, come in," Rick replied. Kate moved inside his room to see Rick propped up on some pillows with his laptop balanced on his knees. At some point in the day he had acquired a dressing gown as he now sat on top of his covers rather than in the bed. Surprisingly there was no sign of his daughter, whom Kate had expected to still be by his side.

"How are you?" She asked.

"Much better," Rick said with a grin. "The meds Lanie prescribed for me are wonderful! I almost feel like I could run into the precinct tomorrow!"

"You're not going to though, right?" Kate asked cautiously.

"No, probably not," Rick said with a laugh. "Please, sit down, you look exhausted!" he added, padding the bed by his side.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Kate asked again, making no move to sit down.

"I'm fine Kate honestly." he leaned forward a little and whispered conspiratorially added, "I think the drugs Lanie gave me might be making me a little merry though!"

"Hmmm, maybe," she replied with a smile at his drug enhanced good humour. "What have you been doing today?"

"Writing," Rick said, offering up his laptop for proof. "Right now I think it may be some of the best stuff I've ever written but I might change my mind when I read it back after Lanie's meds have worn off. Do you want to look...?"

"No!" Kate exclaimed, looking away as he turned the laptop towards her.

"Oops, sorry, I forgot. No spoilers!" Rick said happily.

Kate turned back towards him and stood there for a long moment looking down at her grinning partner. Whatever Lanie had prescribed for him had certainly improved his mood, and going by the way he'd leaned forward a moment ago had also done wonders for his mobility. She doubted he was up to 'running' as he claimed but was hopeful he would at least soon be up and about again.

"Where's Alexis?" She asked.

"Out. I sent her round her friend's for a few hours. She's been hovering by my bedside _all_ day and as lovely as it was to just sit and talk I think we both needed a bit of a break - me from her 'nannying' and her from my whining!"

"Oh, OK. Ummm, have you eaten?"

"No. But Alexis insisted on making dinner for us before she went out. It's in the fridge; all we've got to do is heat it up and eat!"

"You, stay there," she commanded Rick as he looked like he was preparing to rise. He may be as happy as Larry and feeling a lot better than this morning but she didn't want him over stretching himself and lengthening his recovery time. Much as she would have denied it to him, she'd felt somewhat bereft without him there today and she wanted him back on his feet and by her side where he belonged.

Kate left Rick in his room and dug out the meal Alexis had prepared for them from the fridge. She made a mental note to thank the young woman when she returned home as this was the second meal she'd cooked for her in the last few days. Whilst the food was heating up in the microwave she took the opportunity to go up to her room and change into something more comfortable. By the time she came down stairs and gathered some cutlery together the microwave pinged and she was able to take two steaming hot plates back into Rick's room. She was glad to see he'd put his laptop to one side, she wouldn't put it past him to absentmindedly offer it to her again. As there didn't appear to be any other seats, and she was far too tired to drag one in from the main living area, she perched herself on the end of Rick's bed whilst they both attacked the delicious meal Alexis had prepared for them.

"So," Rick said as they finished eating. "We're you able to make any progress today?"

"No," Kate admitted wearily. "We spent the entire day going over the files again, looking for any link to Daniels' story but nothing! There's nothing in there to suggest any link to Dawes and certainly no hint of anything to do with the Petrucci's! I don't feel like we've made any progress at all!"

"Something will come up Kate," Rick said reassuringly.

"Maybe," Kate replied. "But you know as well as I we can't solve them all and this one might just be one of those we never get to the bottom of..." she tailed off. She didn't like to think about the cases she couldn't solve. She knew it was impossible to solve them all but each one that slipped though her net rankled, especially cases like this one where there were tantalisingly hints about the reason for the death of their vic, and who may have committed the actual murder...just no evidence or proof she could latch on to.

"I'm sure we'll find something tomorrow Kate," Rick said quietly. "I'll be back on my feet by then and we'll go back to SDG, dig around..."

"We can't Rick, not without evidence, you know that. And besides, you won't be coming in tomorrow, not until your side is much better."

"It'll be fine..."

"No! Rick, I don't want you there, not if it means over-extending yourself and doing any more damage! I'd rather you stay here and heal properly. The guys think you're going to be in meetings with your publisher for the next couple of days anyway and Gates...well she certainly won't care that you're not there. Please Rick, promise me you'll give yourself enough time to heal."

Rick didn't say anything fie a few moments but he eventually nodded. "Ok Kate," he said. "If it makes you feel better I'll take my time and make sure I'm fully fit before I come back into the precinct with you...but on one condition."

"Conditions again Rick?" Kate asked.

"It seemed to work last time," Rick replied with a shrug.

"Fine," Kate said, too tired to really argue with him. "What's the condition?"

"That you keep me company for a couple of hours."

"Keep you company? That's it?"

"Yep," Rick said with a grin. "I've been stuck in this room all day and I'm bored!"

"Bored? What about your writing?"

"I've written loads already today," Rick said, waving his hand dismissively. "Besides, talking to you is much more interesting!"

"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Kate replied, smiling despite herself.

"Maybe not, but it never hurts," Rick said.

Kate burst out laughing at his irreverent comments and goofy smile. "Ok Rick, you win," she said.

* * *

In the end they talked for hours, about everything and nothing and Rick enjoyed himself more than he could remember in a long time. Some of that might have been due to the drugs Lanie had given him but he was sure they'd started to wear off a while back and most of his enjoyment came from simply talking with Kate. At some point during their conversation she'd moved from the end of his bed to sit beside him, and Rick had to smile inwardly at the thought that Kate Beckett was happily sitting beside him on his bed. Perhaps not exactly in a way he'd pictured in his mind (she was definitely wearing less clothes in those imaginings) but he would take it for now.

Eventually however he noticed her responses to his questions were getting shorter and shorter and a quick glance over at her told him she was starting to flag. He knew that she'd had an exhausting day trawling through files looking for something, anything, which could help with their case and that effort seemed to have caught up with her.

"Kate?" Rick said softly.

"Hmmm?" she replied, her eyes closed.

"I think you've more than fulfilled your part of the bargain to keep me company. Maybe it's time we called it a night?"

"So," Kate said slowly, not opening her eyes. "You've used me to ease your boredom so now you're kicking me out? That's a bit harsh Rick, don't you think?"

"Oh believe me Kate, I would be more than happy for you to stay but I think you're going to be asleep sooner rather than later and I know I'd only regret it if I didn't give you an opportunity to leave."

"Hmmm," Kate said sleepily. "You're probably right."

Rick waited for her to get up or to say something more but after a few seconds it became apparent that nothing more was immediately forthcoming. "Kate?" Rick prompted, wondering if his partner had already dozed off.

"I know, I know, I need to get up. Jeez Rick, just give me a moment will ya?" Kate replied, still not opening her eyes.

Rick snapped his mouth shut at her rebuke and looked away, giving her the space she wanted. But after 30 seconds or so had passed without any sign of movement from his partner he looked back. Kate was still in the same position, her eyes closed and her breathing even.

"Kate?" Rick said softly and, when he got no response, he raised his voice and tried again. But it was evident that Kate had succumbed to her weariness and had fallen asleep beside him. It was the second time she'd done so in the last few days but unlike the night of her parents' anniversary they were not sat on his couch in front if the TV but lying on his bed. He knew he should probably shake her awake and force her to return to his spare room but she looked so peaceful there beside him he didn't have the heart to wake her. Besides, he was honest enough to acknowledge his own selfish desire for her to be there by his side. He reached out and moved a lock of her hair which had strayed down one cheek, his fingers ever so gently brushing against her soft smooth skin.

"I love you," he whispered, knowing she couldn't hear him but feeling an overwhelming urge just to say the words. Kate stirred and Rick jerked his hand back as she turned slightly towards him but her eyes didn't open and the rhythm of her breathing remained calm and even as she slept on. He wondered what it was she would be dreaming about and, as he reached over and turned the lights out with his remote, he dared to hope that he figured somewhere in her dreams, as she most certainly would in his tonight.

* * *

Alexis arrived home from Paige's a lot later than she'd intended. She'd wanted to get back sooner to make sure her Dad was ok and he had everything he needed but it had proven difficult to get away from her friend (who was having boyfriend trouble again!). Fortunately her father had texted her to when Kate got home so she at least knew he wasn't alone.

When she opened the door the living room was dark and quiet and there was no sign of either her dad or of Kate. She took her coat off and hung it up on its usual peg before stepping easing off her shoes. Not wanting to wake her father if he was sleeping she tiptoed over to the door of his bedroom, which she could see was ajar, and gently eased it open. The lights were off but there was enough ambient light from his large window for her to immediately see that he wasn't alone in the room. She froze where she stood, looking down at the sleeping form of her dad and the unmistakeable frame of Kate beside him.

Alexis felt her face redden at having intruded on what was obviously a private moment between her father and the detective. She was about to back quietly out when her eyes spotted in the darkness that they were both still fully dressed and there were some empty plates sitting on a tray on top of one of her father's cabinet. She stopped moving as her mind whirled though the possibilities and she sighed in relief (or perhaps a little disappointment) as she worked out that the likeliest explanation for what she was seeing was that they'd simply both fallen asleep after eating dinner.

She took a couple of steps into the room, just enough to carefully and quietly lift the tray from the dresser before she backed out and slowly closed his door behind her with a barely audible click. She hurriedly scooted across to the kitchen and carefully placed the plates and other cutlery in the dishwasher. She grabbed a glass from a cupboard and filled it with cold water from the tap before taking one last look around to make sure everything was off. She quietly made her way over to the front door to make sure it was securely locked before heading upstairs to her own room.

Once in her room Alexis quickly put the glass down and hurriedly grabbed her phone from her pocket. She'd been keeping her grandmother updated with developments between her father and Kate since the weekend and she knew the older woman would never forgive her if she didn't immediately let her know what she'd just witnessed!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Well, another chapter and hopefully you'll see some signs that things are moving forward between Rick and Kate, a little slower than some of you would like I know but on the bright side, at least it won't be four years like the show itself :-)**

**As always, please do let me know what you think as it helps to know what you like, and dislike, about my story. Of course I prefer the 'likes' to the 'dislikes' but please feel free to share either :-)**

* * *

Kate's eyes fluttered open and she shivered in the cold night air. Her brain still felt foggy with sleep but she was awake enough to tell she was lying on top of the covers rather than under them, which was no doubt why she'd woken up shivering. 'Why on earth did I fall asleep on top of the covers?' She asked herself before mentally shrugging away the question - she was too tired to care and she was not getting any warmer wondering about it. She shifted to one side, blindly feeling beside her for the edge of the covers so she could pull them down and slip into the welcoming warmth. But instead of the soft cotton she'd been expecting to find her questing hand found a large, solid object on the bed next to her.

Kate's eyes flew open and she whipped her head around to try and see what her hand had touched. In the dim light she could just about make out the shape of someone lying stretched out beside her. "Rick," she whispered into the darkness of his bedroom as memories of the previous evening crashed back in to her now wide awake mind. She'd come to see him after getting back from the precinct and he'd insisted she stay and keep him company as payment for him not trying to return to work until the bruising on his ribs had started to ease. She'd agreed even though she'd known he wouldn't have gone in anyway - well she was almost certain he wouldn't have tried to go in! They'd talked about their current case and a hundred other things before...the memories became foggier. She had a vague recollection of Rick telling her she'd held up her end of the bargain and she'd said something about being kicked out and then...nothing.

She must have fallen asleep; there was no other explanation for it. She'd somehow let herself fall asleep besides Rick...in his bed! She shivered again, ok maybe just on his bed rather than _in_ it but either way she had still been sleeping next to him for who knew how long! She looked down at herself and could just make out she was still wearing the clothes she'd changed into whilst waiting for their dinner to heat up. And she could see Rick was still in his dressing gown so he must have gone to sleep beside her without trying to get into his bed. Well, she reasoned, he was certainly in no shape at the moment to have been able to move her when she fell asleep and it would have been difficult for him to get into his bed with her lying on the covers as she was so he'd probably not had much choice in the matter!

Kate flushed in embarrassment. She was supposed to be ensuring Rick rested properly so he could be back on his feet as soon as possible. She was not supposed to fall asleep beside him and prevent him from getting into his own bed! Her blush faded and she smiled wryly to herself as she lay there and listened carefully to his deep and even breathing for a few moments. Her faux pas didn't seem to actually be preventing him from getting his much needed rest, quite the opposite going by his soft snores!

She shifted herself up on to one elbow so she could see Rick's face a bit better in the dim light of his room. His eyes were closed and his self-proclaimed 'ruggedly handsome' face completely lacked the lines of pain which had marred it so often in the last couple of days. She reached out and gently moved a corner of his robe which had become bunched up under one ear and froze as Rick's nose twitched at the movement. She lay there, her hand resting against his cheek, not knowing what she would say if he woke to find her lying here beside him. But his eyes remained closed and after a moment he returned to the slow, regular breathing of the deeply unconscious. She let out her own quiet breath of relief and slowly removed her hand.

Moving carefully so as not to awaken her slumbering partner, Kate slowly eased herself off his bed and on to her feet. She looked down at Rick and wondered if she should try to cover him before she left but his dressing gown looked a lot warmer than the thin shirt she was wearing so he would probably not feel the cold as she had. Besides, she really couldn't see any way she could get his covers over him without waking him and that was the last thing she wanted to do!

Tiptoeing carefully towards his door, she slowly pulled down the handle and eased it open. She slipped out and just as carefully and slowly eased the door shut again, not daring to breathe until the heavy wooden door closed with a faint 'click'. She winced at the noise, which had sounded very loud in the quiet of the loft, but reasoned Rick was too far gone to hear such a low sound. She hurried across the dark living area, quickly ascended the stairs and darted into her room. As she closed the door behind her she leant back against it and held her head in her hands. How had she let herself fall asleep besides Rick in his room? What if Alexis had found them there like that? What would she think? And what if Lanie or the guys ever found out that she'd 'spent the night' with Castle? Even in her own head that sounded so much more intimate than it had been and she knew they'd never believe she'd simply fallen asleep beside him!

She stood there for a few moments before taking a deep breath to pull herself together. Alexis hadn't found her sleeping next to her father and there was no way Lanie or the guys would ever find out unless she or Rick told them. She most certainly wouldn't and she doubted Rick would either, assuming of course he actually remembered her falling asleep there at all. He would awaken to find himself alone and with the drugs he'd taken yesterday it was entirely possible he might pass off any memories he might have of her falling asleep beside him as simply a dream. That thought should have engendered a sense of relief but she found herself chewing at her bottom lip as she worried about what he would remember about their 'night' together. 'No, stop that!' she told herself firmly as she pushed away from the door and quickly stripped off the clothes she was wearing to replace them with some proper nightwear. There was nothing she could do which would change whatever Rick remembered about last night, nothing short of returning to his room to sleep by his side and she definitely wasn't going to do _that!_

* * *

Rick woke with a start, his unconscious body registering the quiet 'click' of his bedroom door. He looked around his room, still more asleep than awake. Nothing seemed out of place or out of the ordinary so he closed his eyes to return to sleep, hoping to return to the pleasant dream he'd been having about walking hand-in-hand with Kate into the precinct, much to the shock of everyone there. But his eyes shot open again almost immediately as his brain presented him with another image of Kate, this time asleep beside him on his bed. He looked over to his left, half expecting to see her there, but he was disappointed to discover that he was alone. Still not sure if the image of Kate had been real or another dream he tentatively reached out and felt the spot beside him. A smile blossomed on his face as his hand told him the spot beside him was still warm. 'So it wasn't a dream,' he thought happily. Kate had been sleeping here beside him, in his bed, until very recently.

As his mind returned to full consciousness the happiness he felt at the knowledge Kate had been there beside him faltered and he cursed silently under his breath. She'd done it to him again! This was the second time she'd fallen asleep by his side and the second time she'd awoken first, denying him the truly wonderful experience of waking up to find the woman he loved by his side. That was so unfair! He debated getting up to go look for her but dismissed the thought as soon as it had arisen. No, if she'd wanted to see him she would not have crept out of his room in the middle of the night. He creased his forehead in thought. What would Kate think? Waking up to find herself lying next to him in his bed? She'd freaked out at simply staying under the same roof as him and that had been her idea! But jumping from that to sharing his bed, albeit in a completely non-sexual way, how would she react to that? In the past he knew she would run, not just out of his room but out of the loft and away from him completely - sealing herself away until she could build another one of those damn walls she went on about - with her on one side and him on the other, desperately looking for a way in.

But would she do that now? In recent weeks he thought she'd seemed to be trying hard not to run from him - the very fact he had somehow convinced her to stay here despite his ridiculously flimsy reasoning was evidence enough of that...wasn't it? Kate would have laughed in his face at the suggestion a year ago, although as it had basically been her idea in the first place there wouldn't have even been a suggestion to laugh at. And that was more evidence wasn't it? He'd thought long and hard about why Kate had lied to Meredith about staying here and he'd only been able to come up with one answer - that she was afraid of what might happen if Meredith was under the same roof as him. Nothing would of course; he knew that; Meredith simply couldn't offer him anything he wanted any more. No, he only wanted one woman in his life these days and he dared to hope she was finally starting to allow herself to see them as more than just friends and partners. Still, he listened hard for the next few minutes, trying to hear any sound of movement in the loft; any suggestion of Kate moving around or, worse, leaving. But he heard nothing other than his own careful breathing; no sound of footsteps or any hint of movement. After a few minutes he finally allowed himself to relax and the happy smile returned to his face as he let himself believe she had stayed and had simply retreated to her room - probably to avoid an awkward situation in the morning.

He sat up gingerly, moving carefully to avoid the sharp stabbing pains which had so badly hampered him yesterday. Sure enough, his chest and ribs protested at his movement, telling him in no uncertain terms they still hurt. But the pain was decidedly less than before, simply very uncomfortable rather than agonising. He carefully swung his legs over the edge of the bed and, after counting slowly to ten in his head, pushed himself upright. His legs wobbled and his side hurt but he managed to remain on his feet, unable to stand up completely straight but he was at least still upright - a decided improvement on yesterday! He shuffled carefully into his bathroom, very glad he could at least manage this task on his own without needing his daughter to help get him there! Apart from the excruciating stabbing pains in his ribs that had been the worst part of yesterday, being almost completely dependent on Alexis' support just to get to and from the bathroom! It made him feel old in a way that nothing else ever had and he didn't like the feeling, not one bit!

When he had finished he shuffled back towards his bed, scooping his cell up on the way. After lying back down and taking a few moments to let the discomfort return to its now familiar dull ache he worked his way through the menus on his phone, setting his alarm for 0630. He may not have had the pleasure of waking up next to Kate today but he was dammed if he was going to let her disappear into the precinct without at least seeing her first!

* * *

Rick didn't think he'd manage to get any more sleep at all but when his alarm buzzed his eyes flew open in surprise and he groaned at the disturbance. Ok, maybe he had fallen asleep for a while but it was not enough, nowhere near enough! Still, he had good reason to be up and he wasn't going to miss the opportunity of seeing Kate slip by just because he was tired. As he had done a little while earlier, he carefully swung his legs out of bed and pushed himself to his feet. He made his way over to his bathroom and turned his shower on, very aware he'd not washed properly at all yesterday.

He had only one word for his shower when he gratefully stepped out of the thing a few minutes later...agony! Each time a jet of water had hit his injured ribs it was as if someone had stuck a sharp needle into his side. He'd tried to lower the water pressure as much as he could but his shower wasn't designed to deal with badly bruised ribs and it really didn't have the necessary settings. He braved it out just long enough to wash his hair (water only, there was no chance of him reaching above his head to use shampoo!) and then gratefully turned the water off. Drying himself down was almost as bad as the shower and he quickly abandoned any idea of dressing in anything other than loose, comfortable pyjamas. Shaving was also out of the question, he didn't trust the steadiness of his hand to risk a razor blade on his face - a couple of days stubble was infinitely preferable to the myriad of small cuts he was likely to inflict on himself if he tried to shave!

After dressing in some clean pyjamas and his dressing gown he took a few moments to compose himself, to push the discomfort of his side to the back of his mind. When he felt as ready as he was ever going to be he carefully walked out of his room and into the main living area of his home. Despite the extra time it had taken him to get ready it looked like he was still the first one up and a glance at his front door showed that no one had unbolted it, which he found doubly reassuring considering Kate's flight from his room last night and his fear she might leave. He set about getting some coffee going before gratefully sinking into a chair to await the rest of the household. He sat there for about 15 minutes before he finally heard signs of movement from above. Knowing it much more likely to be Kate than Alexis he took this as his cue to make Kate's favourite coffee so that by the time she came down the stairs a few minutes later it was sitting on the counter waiting for her.

"Rick!" Kate exclaimed in surprise when she reached the bottom of the stairs and saw him sitting there.

"Good morning," he said with a bright smile. "Your drink awaits," he added, indicating the steaming cup of coffee with an overly elaborate flourish.

"My drink? Rick, you didn't get up just to make me coffee did you? You're supposed to be resting!"

"No," Rick replied. He hadn't gotten up 'just' to make her coffee...he also _really_ wanted to see her as well before she left for the day. "I got up because I wanted to...I spent too much time in bed yesterday and I needed a change of scenery." 'Not the whole truth but true enough' he thought to himself.

Kate stepped closer to him, ignored the coffee he'd laid out for her and looked at him appraisingly. "How are you? How's the ribs?" she asked, her voice gentle and sounding full of concern.

"Still very sore," he replied honestly. "I won't be moving around all that much today and I definitely won't be 'running' anywhere," he added with a grimace.

"So you remember making that boast then?" Kate said, smiling as she finally reached out and took a sip of her coffee.

"Oh yes," he replied. "Whatever other side affects the meds Lanie gave me had, memory loss doesn't seem to have been one of them."

Rick left it hanging there, allowing Kate the opportunity to talk about last night if she wanted too but not forcing the issue. She coughed a bit at his words and he could see her face redden slightly from embarrassment.

"Memory unaffected huh," she said carefully. "I guess that means you remember me...ah..."

"Falling asleep," he finished for her. "Yes, I seem to remember reminding you to go before you drifted off and you basically told me to leave you alone..." he added with a grin.

"I'm so sorry about that!" she exclaimed. "Yesterday was a long day and...well, I really didn't mean to fall asleep on you like that. I...I mean next to you, not on you, I didn't fall asleep on you...err...," she tailed off in obvious discomfort. Rick spoke up to help ease her out of her embarrassment.

"No, you didn't fall asleep 'on' me. Although you know I wouldn't actually object if you had..." That quip earned him a quick jab in the arm from Kate and he winced theatrically.

Kate's mouth dropped open in shock as she saw his wince. "Rick, I'm sorry...your hurt! I shouldn't have..."

"I'm fine Kate," he assured her, with a laugh. He winced again, this time in genuine discomfort. "Although don't make me laugh like that! It's my ribs that are bruised, not my shoulder!"

"I'll try to remember that," she said, seeming to relax slightly as she took another sip on her drink.

Rick hoped Kate would continue to talk about last night but she didn't seem to know what to say as she continued to sip on her drink. He knew she must be thinking about it though as a slightly awkward silence stretched between them. They normally had little trouble filling in any gaps in conversation so he knew her mind must be on the events of last night. Fearing she would not know what to say and would end up leaving for the precinct without discussing it further he decided this was the right time to force the issue a little.

"You didn't have to leave you know," he said quietly.

"What?" Kate replied.

"You didn't have to leave," he repeated. "I was woken by the door closing..."

"You heard that?" Kate said quietly, setting her mug down.

"Yes," he said simply. She didn't say anything for a few moments and he wondered if he had pushed her too hard by returning to the subject of last night. But instead of retreating from him, or changing the subject to something less intimate, she surprised him by simply shrugging.

"I thought it might be a little awkward if I was still there when you woke up so I decided it was better I leave. Alexis already caught me coming out of your room yesterday and jumped to completely the wrong conclusion before I explained about your injury..."

"She did?" Rick asked in surprise. Kate nodded in response.

"Once she knew you were hurt I think she forgot about it pretty quick though. But Lanie wasn't very subtle in her comments over my apparent freedom in coming and going from your room. If she heard I'd actually fallen asleep in there with you...well, leaving just seemed the only sensible thing to do."

Rick look at his partner and found himself smiling at her off-hand responses. Not so much at what she said but the calm way she said them. "You might be right," he said. "It would have been a difficult one to explain, no matter how innocent it was." He wanted to add that regardless he would have been happier to have woken up next to her but he didn't want to risk spooking this calm and relaxed Kate by dwelling on it. "Can I ask you something?" he asked instead, looking over the rim of his mug at her.

Kate's eyes narrowed at his question and she set her mug down with deliberate care on the counter. "You can ask," she said carefully.

"Would you keep me up to date if anything happens today, on our case?"

"On our case...?" she repeated slowly, as if unsure she'd heard him correctly.

"Yeah. I may be stuck at home for a few more days and you have no idea how boring I find that prospect! There is only so much writing I can do, TV I can watch or books I can read. I need something to help pass the time," he said, adding silently in his head 'until you get back.'

"I...I don't know whether they'll be much to tell you," Kate said after a few moments. "We've not exactly made a great deal of progress."

"I know but, if you do you'll let me know? Please?"

"Fine, ok, I'll let you know...happy?"

"I'd be happier if I was there beside you but yes, happy enough," he replied. He groaned inwardly as he realised what he'd just said but Kate just smiled slightly at him.

"Me too Rick," she said quietly before knocking back the last of her drink and setting the empty mug down on the counter. "Well," she added, sounding all businesslike again. "If I'm ever going to find anything to tell you I suppose I need to go in to work. Will you be ok until Alexis gets up?"

"I'll be fine," he replied. "I'll probably go back to bed and review whatever I wrote yesterday...I have a horrible suspicion that what I thought was brilliant then might turn out to be not quite as fantastic today."

"I'm sure it will still be better than many other authors published works," Kate said, smiling at him again.

"My, did you just pay me a compliment detective?" he asked.

"You're injured Castle, I'm making allowances," she replied as she walked away from him. "Don't get used to it!"

* * *

As Kate made her way into the precinct from Rick's loft she let her mind play back their conversation over his kitchen counter. Her heart had almost stopped when he'd so casually asked if he could 'ask her something', right after they'd been discussing her unorthodox sleeping arrangements from last night. Up until then she thought she'd handled the potentially tricky situation well, remaining surprisingly calm when Rick had wasted no time in bringing the subject up. But when he'd asked that question she'd been so sure he was going to want to talk about 'them' and she had no idea how she would have answered.

As she'd lain in bed after leaving his room last night, praying for the sleep that simply wouldn't come, she'd had plenty of time to consider what she might say and to think about the events of last night. She'd quickly dismissed the thought that her falling asleep by his side (again!) meant nothing, she knew she didn't trust easily and had gone through whole relationships in the past without ever spending the night. And yet this was the second time she'd fallen asleep next to Rick and as she lay in bed probing her memories more details about last night had slowly returned. Not so much what had happened but what she'd been feeling just before she'd dozed off, a sense of peace and contentment completely at odds with the uncertainty and panic she normally felt whenever they started edging closer together.

And it wasn't the first time either. Just a few days ago she'd shown up at his door, determined to apologise for taking her bad mood out on him. But if she was honest with herself she knew she also desperately needed just to be with him right then. She'd been going out of her mind at home alone and was driven to his place as much by her need to simply be with Rick as by any desire to apologise. And just being there with him was enough for her to calm down and to feel...relaxed. Yes, relaxed that was the word. And now, after little more than a few days living with Rick and his daughter, she felt happier and more relaxed than at any time she could remember. To the point where she found the prospect of returning to her apartment slightly depressing. It was already approaching a week since Meredith had showed up. Rick's ex had remained suspiciously absent for the past few days, but whilst she was in New York Kate still had an excuse to stay with Rick. But Meredith would eventually return to LA and when she did she'd return home to her empty apartment and go back to calling Rick 'Castle' all the time...and whereas before the thought of being more than just friends with Rick caused her to feel panic, now she found the thought of not being able to return to the loft each night made her feel decidedly uneasy.

But he hadn't asked about 'them'. No, instead he'd simply asked for her to keep him up to date with progress on their case! And so she'd not said any of this to him. And she didn't know if she would ever have the courage to say any of it again! She banged the wheel of her car in frustration, wishing she could be 'normal' like everyone else and not so scarred by her past that she felt unable to just tell Rick how she felt. How she'd heard him that day in the cemetery...and just how much his words meant to her and how much she needed him just to survive each day.

Dogged by these depressing thoughts Kate's mood was not great as she ascended to her floor in the elevator, especially as she was expecting another frustrating day on the Chambers case. She was therefore slightly taken aback when Ryan appeared in front of her before she'd taken two steps out of the car.

"Beckett!" He exclaimed in excitement.

"Ryan!" Kate mimicked his excited tone as best she could. Ryan stared at her somewhat snarky response and Kate again felt guilty for taking her moods out on her friends. "Sorry," she said. "Why're you here so early...and so chirpy?"

Ryan waved her apology away with one hand and smiled at her. "I think I found something, on the Chambers case!" he said.

Kate stopped in her tracks and stared at him, all thoughts of Rick temporarily banished from her mind.

"What?" She asked, desperate for something concrete to go on.

"Ever since you had that meeting with Kevin Daniels I've had this nagging feeling his face was somehow familiar. At first I just thought he had one of those faces but I just couldn't shake the feeling I'd seen him somewhere before. And then last night it came back to me, Jenny and I were watching some TV when wham! I suddenly remembered where I'd seen Daniels face before!"

Ryan beckoned over to his desk and Kate hurried over to join him, pausing only long enough to unceremoniously dump her jacket on her chair. When she got to Ryan's desk he had some grainy CCTV footage up on the screen which she guessed from the angle must be from one of the traffic cams.

"I've been through this footage a dozen times, looking for anything out of the ordinary and nothing popped. But then I remembered there was one moment, from the day before our murder, when a man had to move quickly to dodge a taxi. Nothing unusual in this city and I hadn't paid it much attention but I remembered him turning to remonstrate with the driver and his face was caught on camera for just a few moments..." Ryan shifted the footage forward in slo-mo and Kate watched as a man crossed the street below the camera and then had to hurry out of the way as a yellow taxi unexpectedly came round the corner. As Ryan said the pedestrian turned to gesture angrily at the driver and for a few moments his face was on screen. Ryan highlighted the man's face and enlarged it but Kate could already see what Ryan had noticed. Staring up at them out of the screen, his face contorted with rage, was the unmistakeable features of SDG's self proclaimed Document Management Executive!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Ok, I'll be honest and say I worry I might have jumped too far in this chapter and am perhaps pushing the edges of believability. That said, the second half of this chapter has been bubbling around in my mind for a long time now and it seemed like the right time to get it out and to move things forward a bit.**

**Please let me know what you think, especially if you feel I've strayed a little OOC...!**

* * *

By the time Kate called Rick to give him her promised update they'd found out a lot of interesting things about their Document Management Executive, not least of which was that he didn't actually exist.

"He doesn't exist?" Rick repeated Kate's words back to her.

"No, well at least not before 6 months ago. He has a very carefully crafted back history, enough to fool most searches into his past but dig a little deeper and it starts to crumble away. Whoever we met in that coffee shop his real name is _not_ Kevin Daniels."

"And SDG didn't pick up on this?" Rick asked sounding surprised.

"No, but then again most of what Daniels told us about his job there was a lie anyway. He'd only been with them for a few weeks and he certainly wasn't in charge of anything or anybody. It seems he was actually employed as a lowly office gopher, paid at minimum wage to deliver the mail, carry and fetch that sort of thing. Daniels would not have been given access to any important documents or to SDG's computer network. He didn't even have a pass to get in and out of the building, just a photo ID which he had to show each time so security could let him in or out!"

"Sooo, not likely he saw any files linking Dawes with Petrucci then," Rick said with an audible sigh.

"No. It seems that whole story was all simply designed to throw us off his trail. It worked to, we wasted time looking for non-existent links to Petrucci whilst according to SDG Daniels hasn't shown up for work since the day we met - giving him plenty of time to disappear."

"So he's gone then," Rick said glumly. He groaned and then added, "Which means I took this hit to the ribs for nothing!"

"Yeah, sorry Castle it looks that way," Kate agreed.

"Great!" Rick said. "So, what now?"

"We continue to look for Daniels, try to find out what he was doing at SDG. He was obviously there for a reason and if he _is_ our killer then our vic must have had something he wanted and she was unlucky enough to be in his way."

"Hmmmm, you're still thinking about the crime scene aren't you?" Rick mused. "How clean it was, forensically at least, and how clinical the murder? You think he was a pro, sent to find something at SDG, something which he tracked to Sarah?"

Kate smiled as Rick described her exact thoughts as if he'd just read her mind. Even after four years still amazed how he could do that, how he could read her so well. That ability had creeped her out back then, before she came to know him. But these days she'd come to expect him to be on her wavelength and she really wasn't sure how she used to cope without having him to bounce her ideas off.

"Something like that Castle," she said dryly. He may have read her thoughts perfectly but she didn't wish to boost his already large ego any further by confirming that!

"Hah!" Was all he said in reply and Kate grimaced as she knew she hadn't fooled him for a second.

"Look, I've got to go," she said, changing the subject quickly before he could gloat. She glancing at her father's watch, she had a meeting with Gates in a few minutes anyway and she didn't want to be late to that, especially if Gates ever found out she was late because she was talking to Rick!

"Oh...ok," Rick replied, sounding disappointed. "You'll let me know if you find out anything else?"

"Of course, when I can. I'll see you later Castle."

"You can count on that - I'm not going anywhere..."

"No, you're not," Kate said with a short laugh before cutting the call.

* * *

It was early afternoon when her cell rang and Kate picked it up to see it was Rick calling her. She glanced around the precinct from her desk and could see both Ryan and Esposito were at their desks and within easy earshot. Reminding herself to be careful with her choice of words she pressed the answer button and lifted the phone to her ear.

"Beckett," she said in her full-on cop voice.

"Oooh, how I've missed your subtle greeting detective," Rick replied, amusement evident in his voice.

"Castle," she said, struggling to keep to her serious tone. "I said I'd call if we found anything interesting. Surely your meetings are not so boring you can't find anything better to do than bother me!"

"Ah...I take it the guys are near?" Rick asked.

"You think?" She replied, rolling her eyes for the benefit of Esposito who had looked up at the mention of Castle's name. He grinned at her and bent his head back over the file he was examining. Kate lowered her voice somewhat and whispered into the phone. "What is it Rick, are you ok?"

"What? Oh yes, I'm fine. Feeling good..."

"Then why are you calling?" Kate asked.

"Because I wanted to hear your voice," Rick replied in what he presumably thought was a suitably sappy tone. Whatever it was meant to be he immediately spoiled it by laughing at his own joke. "Seriously, much as I love your 'Beckett', and I do by the way, I had an idea about the case."

"I thought you were going to write, or watch TV?" Kate asked.

"I tried but my mind refused to leave the case alone. I just couldn't get some unanswered questions out of my head. What was Daniels after? And why did he go after our vic?"

"Castle, with Daniels in the wind and SDG still refusing to cooperate without a warrant we don't have any idea what he may have been after."

"All true my dear detective but what we _do_ know is that Sarah's fiancé was sure she was working on a secret project for one of the partners. We learnt that before the meeting with Daniels."

"So? Without any evidence we're never going to get SDG to tell us what she was doing."

"No. But then I thought 'Why was Daniels still at SDG after he'd killed our vic?' I mean, if you assume he _is_ our killer and he killed Sarah for whatever it was he was at SDG for, why did he go back there? Why did he go on pretending to be a lowly office gopher? What was his motive?"

Kate didn't answer immediately as she let her mind ponder Rick's words. He had a point, why had Daniels still been at SDG if he'd found what he wanted when he killed their vic? "It's probably not because he hadn't found what he was looking for..." She said slowly, thinking out loud.

"No," Rick said picking up on her thought. "Otherwise he wouldn't have left after seeding us with his false story. If he hadn't found what he was looking for he would have stuck around to keep looking, at least for a day or so. So what other reason could he have had to go back there? I couldn't get that thought out of my head. Why would he go back? And then it hit me, if he had what he wanted he would only go back for one reason, to cover up the fact he'd found what he was looking for."

"But why would he want to hide that? If he was being paid to find something why wouldn't he want his employer to know he'd found it?"

"Yes, it doesn't seem to make much sense does it? But then I thought what if he took a closer look at what he was sent to find? I mean don't you think he'd be just a bit curious what was so important it was worth hiring him to find? I know I'd want to take a look. And then I thought, what if he realised what he was looking at was worth much, much more than he was getting paid to retrieve it?"

"Then...he wouldn't want whoever hired him to know..." Kate whispered as she her mind followed Rick's line of reasoning.

"Exactly," Rick said, sounding excited. "So why turn up at work after the murder and carry on as if he hadn't found what he was looking for? Unless..."

"...unless he was there to tell his employer he hadn't found what he'd been sent to locate," Kate said finishing Rick's thought.

"Which means whoever hired him must almost certainly works at SDG," Rick finished in triumph. "And at this very moment probably still thinks Daniels hasn't found whatever it was he was sent to look for."

"Rick, if she did find something, something she wasn't meant to come across..."

"...then whoever she was working for might be very desperate to get it back again, desperate enough to hire a professional. And there is certainly one partner whose name keeps coming up, who has made our investigation as difficult as possible from the beginning and who has the money and probably the contacts to hire someone like Daniels."

"Dawes," Kate said.

"Dawes," Rick agreed.

"Rick, that's...thin, really really thin..."

"But worth a conversation with said partner?"

"Oh, definitely."

"How good am I," Rick asked expansively. "Even stuck at home I can still solve murders!"

"Don't count your chickens just yet Castle, there's no proof any of this. And Dawes won't be an easy nut to crack..."

"Ah, but I have every faith in your interrogation skills Kate. I just wish I could be there to see you reel him in."

"Me too Rick," Kate said without thought. She clamped her jaws shut when she realised what she'd just said and looked around guiltily. Fortunately no one appeared to be paying her any attention and her voice had been low enough she doubted anyone could have overheard. "Well, I better get to it if we are ever to find out if this is anything more than idle speculation," she said, reverting hurriedly to her more business-like tone. "Go back to your meeting Castle; I'll let you know if we find anything interesting."

She cut the call before Rick had chance to respond and carefully put her phone down taking a few deep breaths to steady herself. Now wasn't the time to dwell on her unguarded words, there would be plenty of time for that later. No, now was the time to concentrate on Rick's idea and not to worry about anything else. Now she had to convince Gates to let her go after Dawes and assuming she could even get the irritable Captain to agree she then had a tough old lawyer with friends in high places to confront and hopefully crack before she found herself back in uniform directing traffic!

* * *

It was late when Kate eventually got back to Rick's loft that evening. She'd not stopped since his call and had spent the afternoon and evening confronting first Gates and then Dawes with their theory. She still wasn't sure who had been the harder one to face down but she'd eventually managed to persuade Gates to let her confront Dawes and the rest of the day had been spent in interrogation with the old lawyer. It had been long and tiring but she could still feel the surge of success coursing through her body when she eventually opened the door to Rick's loft to find the writer waiting for her, wine glass in hand.

"You got him then?" He asked eagerly as soon as she stepped through the door.

"Who?" She replied ingenuously. She knew her feigned ignorance would drive Rick crazy! She'd deliberately ignored all his calls and text messages since their discussion, just taking long enough to text him she'd tell him how it went when she got home. That had prompted a whole string of messages from him begging her to tell him what was going on but she'd ignored them all, just letting him know roughly when she'd get back.

"Please Kate!" Rick pleaded. "You've made me wait all day for this..."

He looked so pathetic Kate decided it would be cruel to prolong his misery. "Oh do you mean Dawes? Yes, we got him alright," she replied with a triumphant smile.

"Hah! I knew it!" Rick cried, punching the air in victory. "I knew it! I knew you could break him! I want to hear all about it, everything! Have you eaten yet?"

"Yes, well kind of..."

"Thought so," Rick said with a knowing grin. "Despite your cruelty in keeping me in the dark _all_ afternoon I still made extra at dinner. Go, get changed and then you can tell me all about it over something hot!"

As promised, when Kate came back down the stairs from her room there was a plate of steaming hot stroganoff waiting for her on the table, the smell alone reminding her just how hungry she actually was. They'd grabbed something during a break in the interrogation but it had really been little more than a snack and not very filling. She smiled gratefully at Rick and took the proffered place in front of the meal.

"This is good Rick," Kate said after savouring a delicious mouthful. "I can see where Alexis gets her cooking skills from."

"You didn't think it was from Meredith did you?" Rick asked with a smile.

"No, not likely," Kate agreed with a laugh. "Your mother on the other hand..."

"...ah, too true. We may both have learnt a thing or two from my mother. But enough of that, I want to hear all about how you broke Dawes!"

And so Kate spent the rest of her dinner and the next hour or so describing in detail the meetings she'd had with Gates and then the confrontation and subsequent interrogation of Dawes. After getting the go-ahead from Gates she'd taken Esposito and Ryan along to SDG and to question Dawes. They'd had to bully and threaten their way into his office and Esposito had to face down some of SDG's security guards but they eventually got in to Dawes office and faced the extremely angry lawyer.

It was as he was telling them that their careers were over, that he was going to call the Commissioner and make sure they were all fired when she casually mentioned that they'd found the files. His hand had frozen in the act of dialling, just a second or so, but the pause had been long enough for her to know he knew what she was talking about and was therefore involved in this up to his neck. From that point on she held the upper hand and she'd gradually broken him down, bit by bit. Tough as the old lawyer was, the very real threat of being charged with murder was enough so that, by the time they left his office with Dawes in handcuffs, she had his confession for his part in the sordid tale.

Rick's guess had been right. Whilst working for Dawes their vic had stumbled upon some files she wasn't supposed to see, files which proved some of SDG's biggest clients had been defrauded of tens of millions of dollars. Dawes knew if the information got out his firm would be finished, the scandal would be enough to bury the firm. Dawes couldn't let that happen so he'd employed Daniels to get the files back.

"'He was only meant to scare her. Get the files and then scare her! He wasn't meant to kill her!'," Kate repeated Dawes words to Rick.

"But why on earth did Dawes keep proof of his fraud?" Rick said, shaking his head in disbelief. "He must have known something like that could always get out, no matter how careful he was?"

"Apparently he needed some way to keep track of what he was doing - where the money came from so he could hide it from the auditors and other partners."

"So no one else at SDG knew what he was doing?"

"It doesn't look like it, not until Sarah stumbled upon it. And I'm not even sure she knew what she had, there's no evidence to suggest she'd worked out what Dawes was up to. But he thought she was going to sell the information to one of his rivals and he knew they would use it to bury him and his precious firm."

"But in reality she had no idea?" Rick asked sadly.

"No, I don't think so," she replied. "But Daniels on the other hand..."

"...he figured out just how much the files were worth and probably decided to do exactly what Dawes feared, sell them to his rivals...which was why he went out of his way to distract and stall us..."

"...to give him time to sell the files before they became worthless. He probably figured we'd catch on to Dawes sooner rather than later so he spun his story to give him the day or two he needed."

"So you think he's sold the files by now?"

"If he's smart, which I think we can both agree he is, he'll have sold them and disappeared."

"So, we probably won't catch him then," Rick said with a sigh.

"No. But his image is on file now and we might get lucky. And we can at least tell Simon why his fiancé was killed - which is more than many of us can hope for."

Rick looked up at her last words and moved his hand to rest it on hers. Kate smiled a little sadly up at him and turned her hand over to grasp his strong fingers in hers. His eyes widened slightly at her gesture but he recovered quickly and smiled at her in a way which made her forget all about Dawes, forget all about the sad memories of mother's death, in fact forget about everything other than the mesmerising depth of his blue eyes.

Kate didn't know how long she sat staring into Rick's eyes but she eventually became aware his thumb was gently tracing circles on her wrist, leaving a trail of goose bumps in his wake.

"Rick..." she managed to whisper after a few moments.

"Hmmm?" He replied, distractedly.

Using an extreme force of will Kate pulled her gaze from his eyes and withdrew her hand from his. As if a spell had been broken Rick looked down at his hand and then back up at her.

"Kate...I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"Rick...it's not...I just don't think it would be a good idea..." Kate stopped struggling to voice the chaotic thoughts which were cascading before her mind. She stood up from the table and took a step back. "I'm...I'm tired Rick, it's been a long day and...and tomorrow will be as well. I think I'm going to call it a night and go to bed," she said, her voice sounding almost as weak as her knees felt.

"Kate..." Rick started to say but she held up a hand to stop him from continuing.

"Rick, please," she pleaded. "Just don't..." Kate could feel the tears threatening to break through her tenuous control so she turned away from him and walked quickly over to the bottom of the stairs. She stopped long enough to mutter 'I'll see you tomorrow' before she virtually ran up the stairs and into her room.

* * *

It took her a long time to bring her tears under control, tears born of fear and frustration: fear of the feelings Rick's gentle caress had stirred up in her and frustration at her own panicked reaction to those feelings. As she'd become aware of his caress she was suddenly pulled back to that day at the cemetery, to seeing his face looking down at her as her body vibrated in indescribable pain. And in the midst of that pain, as she felt her life drain away, she'd heard his words to her; words which had become so intrinsically tied to that moment in her brain it had taken almost a year of therapy for her to come even close to untangling her fear and her emotions.

When the tears and shaking eventually slowed she slowly pulled herself to her feet from the tight ball she'd made on the floor, her arms aching from where they'd been clamped around her legs. Step by step she dragged herself into her bathroom and slowly stripped out of her clothes before stepping into the blessed warmth of the shower. She stood there for a long time, letting the hot water stream over her body and slowly ease the tension in her muscles. It had been months since she'd had a panic attack as bad as that one, months since the feelings and emotions from that day in the cemetery had overwhelmed her. Burke had warned her this could happen, warned her it would be normal for her to have these relapses on occasion.

She eventually turned the shower off and towelled herself dry before digging out some night clothes and retreating to the comfort of her bed. She knew sleep would not be on the cards for hours, memories of her shooting were far too fresh in her mind for any chance of rest. If she was at home she'd turn to one of Rick's books for comfort, losing herself for a time in one of his beautifully crafted stories. Letting herself feel close to him in a safe way, a way not linked to her shooting. But she had not thought to pack any of his books when she'd come over here and whilst she knew there would be plenty downstairs she couldn't go down there and risk facing him; risk having to explain her sudden departure.

She was just wondering whether there was anything on her laptop which she could use to distract her instead when she remembered the memory stick Rick had given her a couple of days ago, a stick full of his published work but also including all of his background notes, his research and even unpublished story ideas. 'Perfect' she thought with small smile as she dug her laptop out and fired it up. She retrieved the memory key from her drawer and impatiently waited for her laptop to be ready. After what seemed like an age she managed to log in to her machine and open up Explorer to see the contents of the drive. Her eyes widened as she was greeted with folder after folder of names she recognised. Book titles from the Storm series covering every one of Rick's published novels plus one, two, three, four, five no six Storm titles she didn't recognise!

Picking one of the Storm titles she didn't recognise she opened the folder to see a dozen or more sub folders, each with names such as 'Characters' or 'Plot Lines'. One folder called 'Overview' jumped out at her and on closer examination contained a single file which she immediately opened. The file was only a few pages long but it contained a story outline which, as Kate rapidly read through the four pages of words, told of a completely new and unpublished adventure for Storm. And as she browsed through the other sub folder she found Rick had even started to write this story, with nine whole chapters listed under a folder labelled 'First draft'.

As Kate explored more and more of the memory stick she found it was a treasure trove beyond even her own wild imaginings of what it might contain. She discovered Rick had completed at least one draft of two of the other Storm titles she didn't recognise, whole novels which perhaps no one other than Rick himself had ever read! And then there was the subsidiary information, which she could only equate in her mind to DVD extras but extras on steroids! There were literally hundreds of files in each story folder going into extraordinary depth about each of Rick's novels. Whole back stories on the characters, which varied from dozens of pages full of breath-taking detail for the main characters to a few simple paragraphs for lesser characters.

And then there were Rick's own thoughts, interspersed within almost every file, be it story or research. It took her a short while to identify what the square bracketed text meant but once she realised it was Rick's way of making notes to himself she quickly found herself scanning through the text to look for his next thought; which ranged from plot ideas and things to research in more detail to thoughts completely unrelated to the story in hand, such as what he needed to do on whatever day he wrote the note. More than a few of these latter notes recoded his thoughts about Alexis, little snippets which eloquently recorded his complete awe at having her in his life.

She spent at least a couple of hours sifting through files in the Derrick Storm folders, looking for her own well loved moments in his published novels. In that short time she learnt more about those novels, more about Rick's reasoning and thought process, then she had imagined possible. She'd always known he was a brilliant author, able to bring his stories to life with seemingly effortless grace, but she was awed at the subtle details which his notes revealed. She'd read some of his books countless times yet these notes highlighted things she'd never noticed, hidden themes which brought the familiar stories to life in whole new ways.

Enthralled as she was by the plethora of information on the Storm series Kate couldn't ignore the folder marker 'Heat' forever and eventually her curiosity overcome her odd sense of voyeurism and she nervously opened the folder to peek inside. As there had been in the Storm folder, the Heat folder contained sub folders for each of Rick's three published novels as well as some more generic folders such as 'Locations'. Uncertain if she actually wanted to know what these folders contained, but far too curious not to look, she chose his latest published novel, Heat Rises, and opened the folder. Sure enough she was greeted with the now familiar folder structure Rick seemed to use for all his stories, each facet of the novel carefully laid out and separated. She could see the folders which she now knew would contain Rick's various drafts of the novel and there was the folder where the in-depth character notes would be.

But unlike the almost wanton way she'd jumped around within the Storm folder she couldn't shake the feeling it would be wrong to open those files up in the same, almost reckless, way. Thinking it was probably best if she returned to the safer waters of the Storm folders - there was certainly more than enough content in there to keep her going for weeks, months probably - she was just about to close the Heat Rises folder when her eye caught a document name she'd not seen before. A document called simply 'Dedications'.

Kate knew all of the dedications Rick had put in the Heat novels by heart. Each one had permanently engraved itself on her mind the first time she had read them. The two he'd written for her, which despite her tangled emotions still made her feel warm and happy each time she recalled the familiar words. To the one in this book; the one which acknowledged the sacrifice Montgomery had made in an effort to keep her safe. After hesitating for a few moments she cautiously moved her cursor over the file and double clicked on it to open it up. The document opened in front of her and Kate could immediately see that it was a list of sentences, each one appearing to be an attempt at a dedication. She guessed Rick had created this file as a place to capture his thoughts on possible dedications for Heat Rises. Certainly they seemed to range from the ridiculously light-hearted to the deadly serious. But the thing which she noticed more than anything was each and every one mentioned her in some way, either directly by name or by some implication:

**To KB, my partner in crime in digging for treasure.**

**For KB, who amazes and inspires me each day.**

**To the one who stayed by my side as the clock ticked down.**

**To KB, for adding purpose to my life.**

**To a one writer girl from a one detective boy.**

**For KB, who reminds me every day what is important.**

**...**

And so on, each one seemingly written to specifically talk directly to her. Kate knew she should probably stop reading the dedications but she couldn't stop herself from reading each line and reliving the moments in each dedication recalled. Moments the two of them had shared, moments only they knew about. And just when she thought it would be impossible for his words to affect her any more profoundly than they'd already done she got to the bottom of his list and the final two entries. The penultimate entry was comprised of just one word and the other wasn't even a dedication at all, but another of those now familiar notes to himself which Rick enclosed in square brackets:

**Always.**

**[This would be so much easier if I could just say 'Kate, I love you!']**

Kate read these last two entries again and again, her eyes becoming misty with tears at the simple expression encapsulated in those two lines. But unlike a few hours ago, when her tears had reflected both fear and frustration, this time her tears were of a different kind, born not of fear but of something else, something much deeper and more meaningful. Kate carefully put her laptop to one side and got up from her bed. Deliberately not pausing to consider what she was doing she walked straight out of her room and headed down the stairs and across the dark and empty apartment to the door of Rick's bedroom. Taking time simply to take a breath she knocked and opened his door.

"Rick, are you awake?" She asked, peering in to the dimly lit room.

"Kate?" Came Rick's sleepy response. She could just make out some movement then Rick clicked on a lamp beside his bed, causing her to blink into the sudden brightness. "Kate what's wrong?" Rick asked, his voice sounding a little more alert and full of concern.

"Nothing's wrong," she replied, stepping into his room and closing his door behind her. She stood there uncertainly, not sure what to do or say next. She'd been carried here on a wave of emotion but now she was stood here facing him she had no idea what to say or do next.

"O-kay," Rick said uncertainly. An awkward silence started to stretch between them as Kate stood there not knowing what to say and Rick watched her, his eyes looking perplexed at her sudden appearance in his room.

"Kate," Rick eventually said, breaking the awkward silence. "If this is about earlier - I'm sorry I..." he started to say but Kate interrupted him.

"I read your words," she blurted out.

"My...words?" Rick asked, looking utterly bemused.

"I...I was looking through the files you gave me, the ones with all your notes on your stories," Kate said, trying to explain.

"O-kay," Rick repeated. "Um, there are a lot of words in those files Kate. Which ones exactly did you read?" he asked.

Kate took a few deep breaths to try and steady herself, to try and arrange some words in her head which would describe what she had read and what it meant to her. "I was browsing through your folder on the 'Nikki Heat' series and I came across a file in the Heat Rises directory called 'Dedications'," she managed to say.

"Dedications?" Rick replied still looking perplexed. Then his eyes suddenly widened as he seemed to recall what file she was talking about and perhaps what that file contained. "Oh," he said.

"It was an interesting read," Kate said softly into the quiet that followed. She took a step into the room. "'To KB, who amazes and inspires me each day,'" she quoted. "'To KB,'" she added taking another step towards him. "'May we always be there to keep each other warm when it gets cold'. A bit obscure that one but of course you knew I'd know what you meant."

"Ummm..." Rick said watching her approach, his perplexed expression replaced by that of a deer caught in the headlights.

"And then there was this note at the end, one of those notes which you seem to sprinkle liberally through your work," Kate said as she finally reached his side. "Do you remember what it said?" She asked him.

Rick coughed awkwardly then nodded once. "Kate, I can explain. I never meant for you to see that file. I forgot it was in there..."

Kate knelt down so her eyes were level with his. "Rick," she said interrupting him, her voice low. "I want you to answer one simple yes or no question. Did you mean what you wrote?"

"Kate, I..."

"Yes or no Rick," Kate said, interrupting him again.

"It's not that simple..."

"Please Rick," Kate pleaded, her voice cracking as her need for him to answer her question overwhelmed her control.

Rick looked at her for a long moment and then sighed. "This is not how I wanted this to happen but yes, I meant every word of it then and I still do now. I love you Kate, I have done for longer than I can remember."

Kate sat back on her heels and closed her eyes as she let his words flow into her. She waited for the panic and the fear to rise from deep within her as it had only a few hours ago but instead of that sense of terror she'd come to expect and dread all she felt was a sense of warmth, almost a sense of completeness.

"Kate...?" Rick said, his voice tentative and full of doubt.

Kate opened her eyes and looked at him. "Say that again," she whispered.

"Sorry?" Rick replied nervously.

"Say that again Rick," she repeated.

"I love you," Rick said.

Kate waited but there was the fear didn't come. Instead she just calmly stood up and walked away from Rick.

"Kate, where are you going?" Rick demanded as she turned away from him.

"Nowhere," she replied almost dreamily as she reached the end of his bed and started back up the other side. She flipped the covers up and slipped into the bed beside him. Rick eyed her suspiciously as she snuggled down, his eyes full of confusion and his face full of questions.

"Turn the light off Rick, it's too bright in here," she said.

"Kate, we need to talk about this," Rick said, still sounding utterly bewildered by this turn of events.

"We will," Kate said quietly. "But not tonight. Please Rick, just turn off the light and leave things as they are for now."

Rick made no move towards his lamp but continued to watch her, clearly wanting a much better explanation for this turn of events. Unable to explain to herself exactly why she'd just done what she had Kate knew she was in no position to explain to Rick so instead she shifted a little closer to him until her face was only inches away from his.

"Or I could always return to my room if you prefer and you could sleep here alone?" she suggested.

He looked at her for a few moments, clearly weighing his options. "Ok," he said finally. "But I want you to promise one thing, that you won't leave in the middle of the night this time and you'll still be here when I wake up. There is _no_ way I will believe this is real if I wake up to find myself alone!"

"Deal, now turn of the light," Kate commanded.

"Yes, detective," Rick replied as he flicked the light switch off and plunged the room back in to darkness. Kate moved herself slightly further away from him but she did rest her head against his shoulder in the darkness and ran her fingers down his arm until she found his hand and grasped it in her own.

"This has to be a dream," Rick said. "And I'll wake up in a minute to find I'm alone."

"Rick," Kate said.

"Hmmm?"

"Shut up and go to sleep."

* * *

**A/N: I invite you all to suggest some additional dedications Castle may have written for Beckett in Heat Rises had Montgomery not died. I'll add any I really like in to this chapter to supplement my somewhat feeble list! :-)**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: First of all, thank you for the wonderful reviews for the last chapter - I was a little nervous about it so I'm glad it seems to have gone down so well. It was really nice to hear about those of you who managed to read through the whole thing (so far) in one go and who still felt able to give such nice reviews! Thank you! **

**As promised at the end of the last chapter I've added in a couple of suggestions for dedications back in to chapter 12 so for those of you who made them feel free to have a peek back to see if you can spot your contributions :-)**

**On to this chapter, which is short (for me) and doesn't end where I initially thought it would but I just couldn't resist stopping when I did...sorry! ****I hope you enjoy and as always please let me know what you think so I know I'm still heading in (roughly) the right direction :-)**

* * *

Rick hadn't thought he would get any sleep that night, not with the woman he loved lying quietly at his side after having barged into his room in the middle of the night and forcing him to admit his true feelings for her. Kate had flatly refused to talk to him or answer any of his questions since ordering him to turn the lights out and his mind buzzed with thoughts over her sudden appearance in his room and what it all meant for them. But when he woke with a start, blinking his eyes against the early dawn daylight, it was clear his tired body had eventually overruled his confused mind and at some point he must have drifted off to sleep. Cautioning himself that it might have all been a peculiar dream he closed his eyes again and counted slowly to three before turning his head to the left and willing himself to open his eyes to stare at the spot beside him.

"Morning," Kate said as his eyes widened in relief at the sight of her laying there. He stared at her for a long moment, half expecting her to disappear, but she just stayed there, right in front of him until he had to eventually believe the evidence of his own eyes; his memories of last night were not a dream and Kate Beckett was lying next to him in his bed smiling up at him.

"You're still here," he eventually managed to blurt out, his brain struggling to form enough coherent words to his express his wonder and joy at seeing her there.

"I promised I would be," Kate replied softly, as if the two of them sharing his bed was an everyday occurrence - which actually, when he came to think of it, for the past two days it was!

"Err...if my memories of last night are to be believed, which I'm still not completely sure of by the way, then yes. Yes, you did."

He continued to stare at the woman by his side, his eyes drinking in the sight of her. He'd imagined waking up next to her in his bed more times than he could remember, but none of those idle fantasies came close to the actual sight of her lying there beside him; her hair mussed by sleep and her face almost glowing softly in the soft dawn light. He was prepared to admit that last thought might still be fantasy, but regardless she still looked more beautiful than ever, which given how often she'd taken his breath away over the last few years was really saying something.

"Well," he eventually managed to say after a while. "This was not something I would have predicted, not after your sudden exit yesterday! Not that I'm complaining for even the tiniest instant but...what the hell happened last night?"

Kate closed her eyes and turned her head away from him. "Rick...," she began before her voice faltered. "Rick, I don't know if I can explain..." She paused again and he was surprised to see a single tear course down her cheek.

"Kate," he whispered, reaching over and gently wiping the tear away from her face with his thumb. "Kate, what is going on in that beautiful head of yours?" He asked softly.

"I...I don't know," Kate mumbled. She took a deep breath and turned back towards him, opening her tear moistened eyes. "It's complicated," she said, her voice barely audible.

"Complicated?" he replied, echoing his partner's words back at her. "That pretty much covers our entire relationship," he said with a smile to soften his words.

"Yes," Kate replied with a small smile of her own. She moved to prop herself up on her elbow, facing him. "Rick, I don't know if I can explain, not right now. This wasn't...planned...in any way and...and I first have to understand myself why I'm here."

"Do you regret coming?" He asked, his heart in his throat. She didn't immediately answer his question and he almost wish he hadn't asked the question because he wasn't sure how he would cope if she said 'yes'. "Kate...?" He prompted.

"No," Kate said softly. She reached across and took his hand in hers. "No, Rick - I don't regret it. I...I just need to process it, in my own mind, that's all."

"You and me both," he whispered. Kate had come to him last night, had forced his confession of love for her out of him and then, in a move he would never have predicted, had chosen to stay by his side for the night. She hadn't fled from his confession as he feared she might and now she'd just confirmed she'd not regretted it! Those thoughts alone were enough to almost blow his mind and desperate as he was to know why his attempts at a suitable dedication for Heat Rises had finally breached her seemingly impenetrable walls, the simple fact she was still here this morning, still here and right at this very moment gently caressing the back of his hand with one thumb was more than enough for him, more than he'd dared hope for in a long, long time.

"Rick," Kate said after a few minutes of silence between them, minutes Rick spent just trying to take in what had happened and what it might mean. "I've got to go into the precinct this morning, to tie up loose ends with the Chambers case. As long as nothing comes up I should be free and off duty by lunchtime. Can we...can you wait until then to talk about this?"

"Kate," he said softly, unable to prevent the waves of emotion he was feeling towards her right now from seeping into his voice. "I've been waiting for you for a long, long time. I can easily wait a few more hours for the woman I love."

Kate's thumb froze in its gentle caress and he watched in wonder as the first blush he had ever seen on his partner slowly made its way up her neck and onto her cheeks. She didn't say anything in reply to his repeated declaration of love for her but after a moment she leant forward to plant a lingering kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you Rick," Kate breathed into his ear, causing his own breath to catch at the closeness of their bodies and the implied acceptance of his declaration. The moment either lasted a second or an hour, he would not swear to either, but Kate eventually pulled away from him and made to get out of his bed. As he lay there, eyes trained on her back as he tried to bring his racing heart back under control, she suddenly froze in the act of standing up, collapsing back down on to his bed after a moment and pulling his covers up to her chin.

"Rick," she said urgently. "Close your eyes!"

"What?" He asked distractedly, his mind far too bemused by the events of the last few hours to think straight.

"Close your eyes!" Kate demanded again.

"Why?" he asked in complete puzzlement.

"Because...because I'm not decently dressed!" Kate hissed, still not turning to face him.

"I'm sorry?" He blurted in surprise.

"Castle, I need to return to my room to get ready for work," Kate said. "I need to get across your room to do that and I'm only wearing a nightdress!"

Rick couldn't help it. He couldn't have stopped the laugh which burst from his chest at her words if his life depended on it, which given their current situation it may well do! He tried to stop as his ribs protested but he just couldn't control the shudders of laughter which bubbled up from inside him as years of tension finally crumbled within him.

"What's so funny?" Kate demanded crossly, turning to face him.

"W...What's so funny?" He replied, still laughing. "Kate, you come into my room in the middle of the night, force me in to confessing my love for you before settling yourself, uninvited, in bed beside me and _now_ you're embarrassed about me seeing you in just your nightdress!? Really, what isn't funny about that!?"

Kate simply stared at him for a long moment, as if trying to decide whether he'd gone mad or not as he struggled to contain the laughter which was still erupting inside him. She seemed to eventually make some kind of decision when she suddenly reached over to grab one of his ear lobes.

"Ow...ow...ow," he protested, his laughter finally stopping as she tweaked the sensitive spot. "Apples, apples!"

"Listen to me Castle," Kate said, her tone low and dangerous. "If you ever want to see me beside you again you'll close your eyes right now and keep them shut until after I've gone. Do you understand me," she added giving a little twist.

"Ow...ok, ok fine!" he replied squeezing his eyes shut. "My eyes are shut, see!" He added. After a moment or two he felt Kate release the pressure on his earlobe and he felt the bed shift and he suddenly sensed her proximity as she briefly touched her lips to the spot she'd grabbed before she moved away from him and he heard her get up.

"Don't even think about it," she said warningly just as he tried to crack open one of his eyes to catch a glimpse of her before she left.

"Awww, you're no fun," he said sulkily, squeezing his eyes tightly shut again.

He heard his door open before Kate replied, her voice low. "Oh, you have no idea how much fun I can be," she teased before he heard the click of his bedroom door and his senses told him he was alone in his room.

* * *

Kate's morning at the precinct was barely enough to keep her attention off last night's events. She wasn't even able to disguise her obvious distraction from the guys, with both Ryan and Esposito asking if she was alright at different points during the morning. She fobbed them both off with excuses of tiredness after a long week, which was true if not the real reason for her current state of mind. But in spite of her distraction by lunchtime she'd managed to complete all of the necessary paperwork on Dawes' arrest and had sat down with Gates to go over the case before it passing it over to the DA's office. Gates was satisfied they'd done everything by the book when it came to Dawes and that there was little more they could do about Daniels until something came to light on his whereabouts. With all the loose ends completed Kate was finally able to leave the precinct just after 1pm, knowing she wouldn't have to return to the building until Monday, not unless something comes in on Daniels.

She'd arranged with Rick to meet at a cafe near his home - he'd been determined to get out of his loft after three days cooped up at home and she'd given in to his pleading on the condition it was somewhere close. It was only a couple of days ago he'd been incapable of getting up without help and despite his seemingly rapid recovery from his injury she was sure he would end up regretting it if he pushed himself too hard too soon. She sent him a text as she left the precinct to let him know she was on her way and spent the 30 minutes or so it took her to get to the cafe trying to come up with some form of words to explain last night. She tried out various different ways in her head to explain why she'd acted as she had but no form of words she came up with made much sense. How could she explain something to him when she barely understood it herself?

"Kate," Rick said in greeting when she eventually arrived at the cafe, with no more idea now than she had this morning about how to explain her feelings and actions. A smile had blossomed on Rick's face when he'd spotted her and despite the turmoil in her mind she couldn't stop herself from returning his smile, insanely pleased just to see him sitting there.

"Rick," she said, taking the seat opposite him. "How does it feel to be out of your apartment?"

"Fantastic," he replied, taking a deep breath, barely wincing. "It may only have been three days but it felt an awful lot longer! I was just not built to stay indoors all the time. Did you manage to get everything squared at the precinct? You're off until Monday?"

"Yeah, free and clear...unless something comes in about Daniels."

"Daniels," he replied with a harrumph, obviously still put out with the man for injuring him. "Well, we can but hope somebody spots him," he added with a sigh. A slightly awkward silence descended after that brief opening exchange, broken only by the appearance of a waitress to take their orders. After she'd departed, the awkward silence returned, a silence Kate had no idea how to break. Fortunately, Rick didn't do any better with long silences than he did with staying indoors for extended periods of time and after a minute or two he leaned forward and placed his hand over hers, silencing the nervous drumming of her fingers on the table.

"Kate," Rick said softly as she looked up to meet his gaze. "I've been thinking about last night and I want you to know you don't have to tell me what's going on until you feel ready to do so ok?"

"Rick..." she started to object but he silenced her with a shake off his head.

"No, I mean it. Kate, I love you. I have done so for a very long time. You know that now and you're still here. That's enough for me."

"But it's not enough for me," she said forcefully. "Rick, I want to talk about this now, I _need_ to talk about this now. I need to tell you something, something I should have told you a long time ago." She paused to take a breath, finally knowing what she was going to say. She knew this was the right time to admit her deception to him but she dreaded the impact it might have on their relationship.

"Last night wasn't the first time...when I was recovering in the hospital after I was shot you asked me if I remembered anything and I told you I didn't. That...that wasn't true. I did and I do remember everything that happened on that day...everything that happened, everything you said."

"You remember everything?" He asked quietly.

"Yes," she said softly, her mind drifting back to that day. "I remember the sudden jolt as the bullet struck and the world spinning as I collapsed to the ground. I remember the instant agony which blossomed from my chest, consuming every part of my body whilst I was completely unable to move, unable even to scream out as the pain engulfed me."

"Kate..." Rick began but she silenced him turning her hand in his to lace their fingers, squeezing his gently with her own. Now that she had started she needed to get this out before her courage failed.

"And as everything started to fade, as I...as I felt myself dying the last thing I saw was your face above me and the last thing I heard was you telling me you loved me. I couldn't move, couldn't do or say anything as I felt my life drain away with those words ringing in my ears. But...but I didn't die that day. You saved me. Lanie saved me. Josh saved me. And...and when I came too, when I realised I wasn't dead but by some miracle I was still alive the first thing I remembered was what you'd said. But the moment I did, and every time since I felt it all again. The bullet, the pain, the unbelievable pain...

"I felt myself die on that day Rick," she said after a moment, wiping away a stray tear with her free hand. "And every time I thought about it, every time I thought about you, about us, those feelings would come back." She paused and locked her eyes with his. "But I didn't want that," she added, squeezing his fingers tightly once more. "So I sought help. I went back to the therapist who cleared me for duty, and I kept going back for week after week, month after month trying to disassociate your words and my feelings from what happened that day."

"Kate," Rick said quietly. "I had no idea..."

"No one did. I didn't tell anyone what I was doing but I kept going back because I wanted to one day be able to tell you I'd heard what you said," she said, determined to get finally get this weight off her shoulders and to be open and honest with him. "And I'm sorry I lied to you and I'm sorry it's taken me almost a year to tell you the truth."

"Kate, you have nothing to apologise for!" Rick exclaimed. "Nothing! God Kate, I can't even imagine what you went through on that day! It still amazes me each day when I see you, still alive and still fighting. I don't know anyone else who could have come back from something like that in the way you have. The way your father described the weeks after your shooting..."

"My dad?" she asked, interrupting him. What had her dad got to do with this?

Rick paused, his mouth open, and then he sighed heavily. "I guess I have to tell you something as well. When you left the city after your shooting, when you cut me out of your life completely I really thought for a while that I'd lost you. I feared you would never come back..."

"Rick," she interrupted. "I had to have that time..."

"I know Kate, I know," Rick said, stroking the back of her hand soothingly. "And I understand, I really do. About two weeks after you left your father...he called me out of the blue."

"He...he called you?" she replied puzzled.

"Yes, and he called every week after that until you came back to the city. He would tell me how you were getting on; how you were coping and how determined you were to come back. He would tell me how you would wake screaming in the night or have panic attacks at any sudden noises. But he also told me how you wouldn't let them beat you, how each time something like that happened you just got more and more determined to recover. He was so proud of you Kate."

"He told you all that..." she said wonderingly. Her dad had never mentioned talking to Rick, not while she was recovering or at any time since. "Why? Why did he call you?"

"Because he knew how...how I feel about you. I never told him and he never asked but he just somehow knew and he kept calling each week just to let me know how you were doing. And when you were getting close to coming back he told me to be patient and to just be there for you, to give you the space and time you needed to heal. He told me not to give up on you and to wait for you."

She stared at Rick in disbelief. Her dad had told Rick to wait for her? She didn't know whether to be angry at him for his presumption, or just amazed at his perception.

"I...he never mentioned..." she paused to take a breath, to try to regain some composure."Rick, I don't know what my dad may have told you but it's not as easy as that. I...I don't know if I will ever be able to...to give you what you want. There is so much going on up here..." she tapped her temple. "I don't know if I will ever be able to...to accept we could be anything more than...than this. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes," Rick replied softly. "But Kate, we're sitting here having this conversation. You know how I feel about you and you came back and you're still here. If even a fortnight ago anyone had suggested we would be here like this today...I would not have believed them. But we are here Kate, and that's more than I've dared hope for in such a long time. And that's enough for me right now."

Kate felt her eyes start to tear up at his words, although there was no pain or uncertainty in her tears this time. Despite his often irreverent attitude and child-like behaviour, underneath there was a man with a truly big heart and he...he loved her with it. It was still hard for her to say that, even in the privacy of her own mind, but she was finally sure it was true. It wasn't a product of her dying mind, or something he'd said in the heat of the moment and later regretted. He loved her; it was just as simple as that.

She opened her mouth, to try to express just how much his love meant to her, but before any words came out they were interrupted by the waitress arriving with their lunch and by the time she'd bustled off the moment had passed. So instead of saying something deep and meaningful all Kate managed to say was "I am here Rick, I'm here and I'm still fighting." It wasn't much, she knew, but she could tell by his smile he understood.

* * *

Rick enjoyed his lunch with Kate after their emotional discussion. He still wasn't completely sure how they'd gotten to this point but he didn't really care. He'd told her he loved her, and she stayed. Not only last night, which was already number one in his memories of Kate, but now he knew she'd also heard him at the cemetery the first time he'd said those words out loud to her and she'd come back. She'd fought her way back from the jaws of death and she was here now, looking a little wide-eyed and nervous, but she was here and that was all that mattered. She knew he loved her and she was still here. That thought alone made him smile and filled him full of hope for a future.

Over their meal they'd both allowed the conversation to drift to more normal and less intense topics so by the time the waitress collected their plates and presented him with the bill they were both laughing and smiling over a recollection involving Esposito and a particularly vindictive set of skis, which according to the Latin detective had jumped out and attacked him whilst chasing a suspect through his home. To hear Esposito tell the tale you'd think the skis had a mind of their own and that mind was hell bent on punishing him. Whereas Ryan's version of events involved Espo tripping up over the innocent pair of skis then trying to throw the offending items away from him but only succeeding in catching them on a hanging light, resulting in their rapid return in his direction and heavy connection with a very sensitive area. Ryan had apparently laughed so hard it had taken him three attempts to handcuff their suspect!

Bill paid and feeling that everything was pretty damn good with the world right now Rick headed back to the loft with Kate at his side. It was probably just his imagination but she seemed to be walking closer to him than normal, close enough that he had a hard time preventing himself from reaching out to pull her into his embrace. He badly wanted to kiss her right now, to back his words of love up with actions. But he'd known before today it would take time for them to move forward, and that he had to let Kate move at her own pace when she was ready. But with her laughing and relaxed and so close beside him it was hard, really hard, not too simply pull her close and kiss her right there and then.

So he found the short walk back to his building to be a long period of torture. And the trip up to his floor in the close confines of his building's elevator didn't help his state of mind as he closed his eyes and thought of the long cold shower he'd need once they got inside. They eventually arrived at his front door and Rick was reaching for his key when Kate's hand rested on his and he turned in surprise to see her smiling at him.

"No, let me," she said, taking the spare key he'd given her out of a pocket with her other hand.

It was a simple act but Rick immediately recognised it for what it was; a symbolic gesture from Kate, letting him know just how far she had come in just a few days. Gone was the woman who had resisted using his key to let herself into his home, instead here she was opening the door to his loft and letting them both in. He turned the hand she still held and gripped her fingers in his, letting her know he understood her gesture for what it was. They stepped inside the loft, hands still linked and Rick closed the door behind him without turning, his eyes focused on Kate's and his heart starting to beat rapidly. 'It has to be her move,' he told himself again as his eyes drifted down to her lips. 'It has to be her move...'

And she was moving slowly towards him, her eyes still locked on his as they got closer together. Rick thought his heart might burst, it was beating so fast as she came closer and closer. She was just a few centimetres away now, and his universe was filled with her eyes. He could feel her breath on his lips and he started to lean forward, to take her lips with his...

"Richard!" The voice said from nowhere, causing them to both jump and spring apart in shock. Rick looked around, his head buzzing and his heart pounding harder than ever. His eyes slowly focused on the woman in front of them and his mouth gaped open in surprise.

"Meredith...?"


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: It's taken me an age to get this chapter out, mainly because I had to have half a dozen goes at the encounter with Meredith before I got something I finally felt I could use. I still don't think it's great but it is at least better then the other failed attempts (which shall never see the light of day!). The rest of the chapter pretty much wrote itself in one afternoon and hopefully you'll enjoy reading that as much as I enjoyed writing it :-)**

* * *

Kate stood next to Rick and stared at his ex-wife in shock and surprise. Meredith!? What the hell was Meredith doing here? Rick's ex-wife hasn't shown her face since they'd left her at that hotel almost a week ago and she finally decides to put in an appearance _right_ now? Just as they were about to...Kate shook her head trying to dismiss the image of a few moments ago from her mind. Now was not the time to focus on what she'd almost initiated...no, there would be another time for that. Right now she needed to focus on why Meredith was here, in front of them.

"Meredith, what the hell are you doing here?" Rick demanded.

"Richard!" Meredith replied, sounding shocked at his tone. "I came to see you...and Alexis of course," she added, almost as an afterthought.

"Alexis? But Alexis isn't here," Rick said.

"So I see. And where is our daughter?"

"She's out. And that's not the point, what _are_ you doing here?"

"I told you, I came by looking for Alexis..."

"That's not what I meant. What are you doing _here_, inside our home? How did you get in _here_?"

"In here? I...ah...well I got Jorge to let me in of course," Meredith said, trying and failing to sound off-hand. It didn't take the years she'd spent interrogating suspects for Kate to immediately know Meredith was lying, and for someone who was supposed to be an actress really lying quite badly.

"Don't lie to me Meredith. I know neither Eduardo nor Jorge would let you in here because I specifically told them not to."

"So that's why...," Meredith started to say before trailing off. "Richard, why would you do that?"

"Why would I do that? Why do you think? To stop you coming in here as and when you feel like it! For God's sake Meredith you don't live here anymore, you can't just come and go as you please!"

"It never bothered you before," Meredith replied. She paused, gave Kate a quick glance before leaning in towards Rick and lowering her voice, although not enough so that Kate couldn't hear every word she said. "I can remember more than one occasion where you've been _very_...uh...happy to find me here waiting for you..." she said, her tone sultry and full of the implication of shared intimacy.

Kate found the hairs on the back of her neck rising at Meredith's unsubtle reminder of her past with Rick and her hand twitched involuntarily towards the gun at her hip as she fought a sudden urge to yank Meredith away from Rick and handcuff her. Rick was also clearly aware of the awkwardness of the situation as he coughed uncomfortably and glanced her way before replying.

"Yes...well...," he stuttered before pulling himself together. "That may have been true but I told you last week things have changed. I thought I made myself clear then...that part of our relationship is done. Now answer my question, how did you get in here?"

"W...what?" Meredith said, stepping back from Rick in surprise.

"How did you get in here?" Rick repeated again.

"I...uh...used a key," Meredith stuttered her response, her voice suddenly full of uncertainty.

"A key?" Rick said slowly. "And where, exactly, did you get a key from?"

"Where did I..." Meredith said. "Um...from Alexis..."

"Alexis!" Rick said in surprise. "Alexis gave you a key?"

"Ah, well, no. Not exactly," Meredith replied, looking uncomfortable.

"What do you mean, 'Not exactly'?" Rick demanded.

"I copied her key, alright!" Meredith said loudly, turning away from them. Rick glanced over at Kate and she shrugged in response. She had no idea why Meredith would steal and make a copy of her daughters' keys. She was pretty sure however that Alexis would not be best pleased when she found out!

"You copied her key...when...why...?"

"When she was in L.A. I borrowed her keys one day and had a copy made..."

"Meredith," Rick said after a few moments. "Why? Why would you do that?"

"Why? Because I was going to surprise you..." she said. "I...I thought you would be pleased to see me. Evidently I was wrong!"

"Pleased to see you? I'm very pleased you wanted to spend more time with Alexis but I don't understand how that relates to you breaking into our home to do so..."

"I didn't break in!" Meredith protested, whipping back round to face them. "I used a key!"

"A key which you obtained without permission," Rick pointed out. "Why would you do that?"

"I told you, I wanted to surprise you..."

"Surprise me; well you've certainly achieved that!" Rick said as he moved around his ex-wife and into the loft. Not knowing what else to do Kate followed him inside and headed towards the kitchen. They may just have come from lunch but she felt an urgent need to have something in her hands right now (other than her cuffs and gun) and a hot cup of coffee seemed to fit the bill. She would have simply left them too it but she couldn't quite shake the mental image of Meredith jumping Rick as soon as she was out of the room and preventing that was one of the main reasons she was supposed to here, watching her partner's back. Remaining had nothing to do with _her_ not wanting to leave Rick's side, no nothing at all. She was here for his sake...not hers. She winced as she bit down a little too hard on her lip which she'd been unconsciously worrying between her teeth.

"So, other than breaking into my home what have you been doing in New York for the past few days?" Rick asked as he took a seat at his kitchen counter.

"What have I been doing...?" Meredith repeated in confusion at his sudden change of subject.

"Yes. I thought we would have seen more of you by now, given that you came to town to spend some time with our daughter, but this is the first time you've appeared in the past week. What have you been up to?"

"Up to? I've not been up to anything Richard," Meredith said with a false laugh. Kate raised an eyebrow at the second obvious lie from Meredith in as many minutes but said nothing. She didn't want to get involved in the discussion between Rick and his ex and frankly she thought she knew her partner well enough to know he would have detected the lie just as easily as she had.

"I've been busy, seeing a few old friends. Friends who actually seemed pleased to see me..." Meredith added.

Rick simply ignored the barb from his ex-wife and, as Kate suspected, homed right in on Meredith's evasion. "Why are you _really_ here Meredith?" he said quietly.

"You know why I'm here..." Meredith started but he held up a hand to silence her.

"Yes, yes, to see more of Alexis and to 'surprise' me. Well you've had plenty of opportunity to do both over the past week but we've seen and heard nothing from you. You forget Meredith, I know you very well and I know when you're up to something..."

"I'm not up to anything Richard," Meredith said with another false laugh.

"Meredith, even if I hadn't spent much of the past four years in interrogation rooms listening to all sorts of people try, unsuccessfully, to lie their way out of trouble I know you better than that. You've only come to New York a handful of times in the past few years and there was _always_ a reason and the reason was never Alexis, or me for that matter. Now I'm not saying you don't love our daughter because I know you do but we both know she's not the only reason you're here."

"Richard..."

"Please Meredith," Rick said with a sigh. "Please, just save us some time, drop the act and tell me why you're really here."

The room went very quiet for a few moments and Kate held her breath. The two of them seemed to have forgotten she was still in the room as they locked gazes, neither seeming willing to back down. But Kate thought Meredith was finding out Rick had changed a little bit over the past few years and one of those ways seemed to be a greater willingness to challenge her, something she probably hadn't experienced much of before. So it was Meredith and not Rick who cracked first and broke eye contact.

"Fine," she said. "Have it your way. I did come to New York to spend some time with Alexis but...but there was another reason. I came because, well because there has not been a great deal of work around recently in L.A. for a woman...," she paused and took a breath. "...a woman of my age and I was hoping to see if there was any work here. So I've spent the last few days visiting a few old haunts and theatre friends trying to get a part, an audition for a role, anything..."

"And have you?" Rick asked after Meredith trailed off.

"No," she replied bitterly. "It's the same story here as in L.A. No-one wants an actress of my age! They all want somebody...y...younger!" she finished, half-sobbing.

For the first time ever Kate found herself feeling slightly sorry for the women in front of her. She may be one of the most self-centred women she'd ever met and she knew she'd not exactly been a great wife or mother to Rick or Alexis but she would have to have a heart of stone not to feel some sympathy for Meredith as she came face to face with the inevitability of her aging. Which was not to say she was old. Meredith could only be a small handful of years older than she was, but she was closer to forty than thirty and even Kate knew this spelt trouble. She looked over at Rick and was not surprised to see a look of empathy on his face as well. He of course would know better than most how brutal and fickle the world of show business and fame could be.

"You'll find something Mere, you always do," Rick said to his ex-wife softly, using an abbreviation of her name Kate had never heard him use before.

"Not...not this time Richard," Meredith sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I can't turn back the clock and no director or producer wants...this," she said, waving an arm to indicate her body.

"You're still a beautiful woman Meredith," he said walking over to stand in front of her. "You still have a lot to give, someone will see that."

"Do you think so?" Meredith asked, her voice uncertain.

"I know so," Rick replied confidently, smiling at her.

"And how about you Richard?" Meredith asked.

"Me?"

"Do you still want me Richard?" she said, stepping closer to him.

"Meredith..." he began but she cut him off by reaching her hands around his head and pulling his head down to kiss him, hard on the lips.

Kate jerked up in surprise. She'd become completely caught up in the drama unfolding in front of her eyes but the shock of seeing Meredith pull Rick's head down to kiss him like that, just as she herself had been about to do only a few minutes before - that was enough to break the spell and yank her back to reality. She stepped forward to pull the woman off Rick but stopped suddenly as the rest of his words to his ex-wife registered. He had called her a beautiful woman and the sound of his voice when he'd said so made it very clear he still cared a great deal for the woman who was kissing him. Maybe he _did_ want her; he kept going back to her even after they'd divorced after all. Kept returning to this woman regardless of what she'd done to him. _Did_ he still love her? In which case what was she to him? Just someone to fill in the time until Meredith needed him again? Was that all she was to him, despite everything he'd said?

"Stop" Rick said, pulling back from Meredith and holding her at arm's length. "Stop."

"Richard," Meredith breathed, trying to move forward to kiss him again as Kate stood frozen to the spot with indecision.

"No Meredith," Rick said, stepping back away from his ex-wife. "You _are_ a beautiful women and someone will realise that sooner rather than later and you will find something. I will always care about you; always love you for the gift of our daughter, but that part of our life is over. I'm sorry but it's over. There is someone in my life, someone who I love more than I ever believed possible," he added, looking past Meredith directly into Kate's eyes. "And she is the only one I want by my side for as long as she will have me."

Kate stared back at Rick, her head spinning as she tried to adjust to her wildly swinging emotions. The sudden but all too familiar fears and doubts of just a moment ago were being washed away in a surge of emotion so strong she felt she might pass out from its intensity. A thousand different moments from the past few years were playing themselves out in her head; a smile here, a word or a touch there, each moment almost insignificant in itself but coalescing together now into something beyond words to describe. She'd had a small taste of this feeling last night, when she'd read his words about his love for her and when she'd forced him to say them out loud. This might even have been how she would have felt if they'd not been interrupted by Meredith when they'd arrived and they'd been moments away from kissing. But it _was_ what she felt right now and the force of it was beyond anything she'd ever experienced and rendered her incapable of any speech, of any reaction to his words other than a slight dropping of her jaw.

But even through the whirling of emotions in Kate's mind she couldn't help but be aware of the other woman in the room, who had followed the gaze of her ex-husband to also stare at her. If she had been capable of any movement her hand would have returned once more to the cuffs at her belt as she registered the look of anger which flickered on to Meredith's face as she realised who he was talking about. She finally turned away after a few moments and grabbed a purse from behind her and fished around inside it.

"Here," she said suddenly, throwing a key at Rick which he just about managed to grab to his chest. "Take the damn key since you obviously don't need me here. I don't know what I was thinking anyway," she said before stalking away.

"Meredith, wait..." Rick called to his ex-wife but she ignored him and yanked open the door to his loft, slamming it loudly behind her as she exited as dramatically as she'd appeared.

* * *

Rick disappeared into his study shortly after Meredith had left and Kate thought it best to leave him to his own thoughts for a while. She knew the argument with his ex had upset him more than his was willing to admit and it would probably take him some time to recover his normal good humour. So with nothing better to do she retrieved her laptop from her room and resumed her trawl through Rick's notes, although given the all of the emotional turmoil of the past 24 hours (she was still reeling a little bit from Rick's words) she decided to stick firmly to the safe waters of the Derrick Storm folder.

As often happened when she immersed herself in one of Rick's stories, she must have completely lost track of time as it seemed like only minutes later the front door opened again and Alexis came in.

"Hi Kate," Alexis said brightly as she closed the door behind her.

Kate looked up at the young woman and for a horrible moment thought Meredith had returned as she was struck for the first time by Alexis' resemblance to her mother. She could suddenly see how beautiful Meredith would have been as a younger woman, and how difficult she would find the slight but inevitable fading of her looks as she got older. Rick was right; Meredith was still a beautiful woman, just one who had lost the subtle luminous quality of youth which Kate could see on her daughter right now.

"Hey," she said. "Err...have you had a good day?" She asked, at a loss at what else to say.

"Pretty good," Alexis said, moving past her and into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and rummaged around for a second before reappearing with a can of soda in her hand.

"Drink?" She asked, offering the can to Kate. She shook her head and Alexis came round to sit opposite her. She opened her can and took a long drag before sitting back. "Man, I needed that!"

"Do your friends not let you drink?" Kate asked, with amusement at the look of pleasure on the younger woman's face.

"What? No, of course not," Alexis said with a smile. "It's just that they sometimes get a bit carried away when they're shopping and forget about the necessities of life...the other necessities I mean, besides shopping!"

Kate laughed. She remembered the amount of hours she and her friends had spent in malls and shops when they'd been Alexis' age and at the time she would probably have agreed that shopping _was_ one of the necessities of life. That was before her mother had been killed of course, after which shopping had for many, many years simply become another one of those chores to be done only as and when required. Kate pulled her thoughts back from that dark time; she did not want to become lost in those memories.

"Don't you like shopping then?" She asked.

"Oh, I don't mind it," Alexis said with a grin. "I just think my limit is a little lower than some of my friends, low enough that I start to notice the lack of sustenance! Talking of which, have you had dinner yet? I really can't be bothered to cook tonight but there's a great restaurant around the corner which I'm sure I can convince Dad to take us for dinner. Where is he anyhow?" Alexis asked looking around as if that would make her father appear.

"He's...uh, in his room." Kate set her laptop down beside her and leant forward so she could speak quietly to Alexis. "And I'm not sure your father's going to want to go out tonight," she said.

"Why?" Alexis asked cautiously, picking up on Kate's quiet tone with one of her own. "What's happened?"

Kate closed her eyes briefly, how was she supposed to explain Rick's argument with Meredith to their daughter! Cursing silently to herself she opened her eyes and decided to stick with the truth, or at least the parts of the truth which Alexis needed to understand.

"Your mother was here when we got back from lunch," Kate began and Alexis gasped in surprise.

"Mom was here?" She asked.

Kate nodded. "Yes. They...uh, some words were said and, well, which I think has upset your Dad."

"What did she say?" Alexis asked wearily.

"Alexis, I'm not sure it's my place to..."

"Please Kate," Alexis pleaded. "I know what my mother is like. What did she do to upset him this time?"

Kate sighed, there didn't seem to be any way she could avoid telling Alexis what had happened but she would have to choose her words carefully. Alexis may know what her mother was like but she was still her mother and it really wasn't her place to artificially paint her in a bad light to her daughter.

"Alexis, when I say your mother was here I mean your mother was literally here," Kate gestured around to indicate the loft. "She was waiting inside when we got back."

"Oh," Alexis said. "She didn't she get Eduardo or Jorge to let her in again did she? I hope not because I know Dad told them not too and if they did...if Dad complains they might lose their job!"

"No, no. They didn't let her in," Kate reassured Alexis quickly.

"Oh thank God for that. Dad would hate to be the cause of Eduardo or Jorge losing their jobs. They've worked here for years, they're almost like family!" She paused for a couple of seconds then sat up straight. "If Eduardo or Jorge didn't let Mom in then how..."

"She...she let herself in Alexis," Kate said quietly.

"She let herself in? But Mom doesn't have a key? Dad has always been _very_ selective about who has unrestricted access to the loft and...well...I didn't think he would give a key to Mom..."

"He didn't," Kate said, filing away Alexis' comment about how precious Rick was when it came to handing out keys to his home. He'd seemed pretty blasé about it when he'd virtually forced her to take and use the key he'd given her!

"But how...?" Alexis asked.

"Alexis, she...uh...she took a copy of your key," Kate said quickly, feeling really uncomfortable. "I'm sure she only meant to have it for emergencies or...or something," she finished lamely.

"She copied my key!" Alexis exclaimed, her voice rising. "My key!"

Kate simply nodded, not knowing what else to say. She felt as if she was back in high school, telling tales on one of her classmates behind their back. She had to suppress a shiver of guilt. She was not a teenager anymore and neither was Meredith. And she wasn't saying anything the woman hadn't admitted to doing out of her own mouth.

"No wonder Dad is pissed!" Alexis said. "What happened then? I bet Dad demanded Mom give him the key."

"Err...yes, yes he did. Alexis, I think you should talk to your father about what else happened..."

"No Kate," Alexis said, interrupting her. "I want to hear what else happened before I go and talk to Dad. He won't tell me because he thinks he's 'protecting me'. He still sees me as a little girl who doesn't understand! Well I'm not a little girl anymore and I've always understood a whole lot more than he thinks I do. Please, just tell me what happened."

Kate looked at the determined expression on the young woman's face in front of her and was once again struck at how mature she was, at how grown up she was. Alexis had fortunately never had to deal with what she herself had gone through and Kate hoped, prayed, she never would. But whatever mistakes Rick had made with Meredith she absolutely had to agree his daughter was worth all of it. Kate was reminded of the hundreds of interviews she'd done with loved ones, about how often she'd had to tell them about some secret or another they'd kept from them. Sometimes good, often bad, but always something which caused the family pain as they realised they didn't know their husband, sister or son as well as they thought they had.

"Alexis," Kate said carefully. "How much do you know about your parents' relationship...after they got divorced I mean."

"If you mean do I know they used to get together for...well you know," she said, colouring slightly. "I know what they did, although I try _very_ hard not to think about it!"

"I can imagine," Kate said with a sympathetic smile. No child alive liked to think about their parents having sex, the thought of her own father for example...Kate stopped right there with a small shudder. "Right, well, uh, your mother was feeling a little...insecure...about her looks. Apparently she's been finding parts a little harder to come by recently and when your father tried to offer her some sympathy and encouragement she...uh...kissed him," she just about managed to say as the words brought back the image of Meredith doing just that and it was not an image she ever wanted to remember.

"She didn't...!" Alexis gasped.

Kate nodded. "Your...ah...father pulled back and told your mother that he didn't want that kind of...relationship...with her anymore and, she, um, didn't take it very well."

"She didn't start throwing again things did she?" Alexis said with a groan.

"Uh, no, not this time," Kate said, relieved that whatever else had happened this afternoon Meredith hadn't started throwing the furniture around, at least not in Rick's loft. God knows what she might have done to her hotel room when she got back! "Your mother...uh...gave...him the key she'd copied and then stormed out." She finished.

Alexis looked at her for a while and then said. "And that's it, that's everything that happened."

"Uh-huh, that's everything," Kate lied. Alexis really didn't need to know the details of what her father had said to her before her mother had stormed out.

"I think you're deliberately leaving things out Kate," Alexis said shrewdly.

"No, no, that's everything," Kate said, desperately.

"Hmmm, maybe," Alexis said, sounding completely unconvinced. "Right, well I suppose I better sort it out."

"Sort it out?" Kate said, looking up at Rick's daughter in surprise. "What do you mean, sort it out?"

"I mean I'm going to go and pull my Dad out of his sulk then the three of us are going to dinner. I'm still famished!" And with that she stood up and strode off towards her father's room leaving Kate sitting there, her mouth open in surprise.

* * *

Rick was sitting on the edge of his bed as he had been for most of the afternoon. He knew he was being rude, leaving Kate alone without any good explanation but he didn't quite know how to face her, not after what Meredith had said and done this afternoon. Meredith's actions must have hurt her and he feared it would strike at the very core of her fears. He knew Kate despised the thought of becoming just another notch on his bedpost and even though he'd told her he loved her he knew it wouldn't take very much for her to start building that wall between them again.

Lost in these gloomy thoughts as he was, Rick almost hit the ceiling in shock when his bedroom door was suddenly flung open to reveal his daughter standing there, her red hair literally looking aflame as it was backlit by the lights from his lounge.

"Alexis," Rick said, his heart pounding rapidly. "What the hell are you doing? You scared the life out of me!"

"Good," Alexis said as she closed the door behind her and came to sit on the bed beside him. "If that's what it takes to get you to stop sulking then it's worth it."

"I'm not sulking!" Rick protested loudly.

"Not sulking? Kate tells me that you've been in here most of the afternoon. If you're not sulking then you're just being very rude to our guest!"

"That's not fair," Rick protested weakly, taken aback by the forcefulness of his daughter. Unlike her mother, and despite the pervading myth about red-haired people, Alexis was generally slow to anger and he'd rarely ever seen her like this, not even as a small child.

"Tough," Alexis said. "I understand Mom paid a visit today and said and did some things which she shouldn't have. Well, she's next on my list to have words with - especially about a certain key - but right now I'm hungry and I want you to stop sulking so you can take me and Kate out to dinner."

"Dinner?" Rick said, trying to keep up with the torrent which was his daughter.

"Yes dinner! So you told Mom that the two of you were through...about bloody time if you ask me! I've never interfered with your personal life Dad, a courtesy I hope you will return," she added, her eyes full of meaning.

"I can't promise that," Rick managed to say. "I'm your father, it's my job..."

"It's your job to bring me up to know how to choose the right person; then you've just got to trust me. But enough about that, we're talking about you and not me. So you finally told Mom you're through and she didn't take it very well. Well you can't be surprised by that, did you ever think she would?"

"No, but..."

"No buts. You told her, Mom reacted badly and then left. So what? I know you don't love Mom and she most definitely doesn't love you. Yes, yes, I know you still care for each other," Alexis said, waving away his protest before he could interrupt. "You will always love Mom but you don't _love_ her. Dad, I know it's Kate that you love and if you ask me..."

"You know that?" Rick managed to say.

"Of course I know that, the whole world knows that. Perhaps the only person who doesn't know it is Kate herself, although I think she might finally be getting the idea."

"H...how do you know..."

"Dad, do you think I'm blind? Despite what you may think I'm not a child anymore. I know how you look at her and I've seen how she looks at you. For God's sake, why do you think I was so happy to have her come and stay here? Because Mom might 'catch her out' in her lie she told - _puh...lease_!"

"Alexis, honey," Rick tried to stop the flow of words from his daughter but she ploughed relentlessly on.

"No Dad, don't tell me I don't understand. I _do_ understand and if you haven't worked it out by now I would be delighted if the two of you finally work things out. Kate is a good woman who cares a great deal for you, what more could a daughter want for her agèd father?"

"Agéd! Who are you calling agéd!"

"You, if you don't hurry up and tell Kate how you feel! How hard can it be, really? I mean you're already sleeping together..."

"What!" Rick said, jumping to his feet and staring down at his daughter, who for the first time since she'd barged into his room suddenly looked a little less sure of herself.

"I...uh...I saw you, the other night," she said, looking uncomfortable.

"You saw us," he said slowly. "What were you doing? Spying on your 'old' man?"

"What! No of course not! I came home the other night and went to look in on you, because I'd spent most of the day helping you get up and sit down remember? I was concerned about you so I went to check on you but when I walked in Kate was already here, the two of you so dead to the world you didn't even stir when I took out the plates from your dinner!"

"You came in that night," Rick said, collapsing back onto the bed and subconsciously rubbing his ribs, which had given a small protest at the jolt when he'd jumped to his feet.

"Uh...yes. Look, I'm sorry Dad it's none of my business,"

"Humph, didn't seem that way a few moments ago when you were busy telling me what I should and shouldn't be doing!"

Alexis blushed and turned away from him. "Sorry," she mumbled quietly.

Rick grinned and pulled her into his arms, almost smothering her completely.

"Dad!" Alexis gasped as he hugged her tightly. He was so proud of his little girl, or perhaps he really should start to think of her as a young woman as she certainly seemed to understand more than he'd given her credit for - and he gave her a lot of credit.

"For your information," he said into the top of his daughter's hair. "Kate and I are not sleeping together. Yes, we may have fallen asleep together but we are not sleeping together."

"Dad, I really don't want to know..."

"Tough," he said, enjoying throwing his daughter's angry words back at her. "Rest assured, if that ever changes I have absolutely no plans on telling you...mainly because I suspect you'll work it out for yourself quicker than I can get the words out!"

"Eww, Dad, stop!" Alexis protested, trying to cover her ears.

"And," he added quietly. "Kate does know how I feel." Alexis stilled in his arms and he hugged her even more tightly. "She knows how I feel Alexis and she's still here," he said, saying out loud his thoughts from this afternoon, before Meredith had appeared to ruin his day. "Do you understand? She's still here," he finished with a whisper.

Alexis freed herself from his embrace and turned to look him on the eyes. Rick knew she could see the tears in his eyes but he didn't care. She'd already told him she would be happy for him and Kate to be together, had even admitted helping to push things along by encouraging Kate to stay here. Kate knew how he felt about her and Alexis knew how he felt about Kate and both seemed to be quite content and happy with the idea. What more could he ever want?

"Now," he said, kissing his daughter on the cheek. "Did you say something about dinner?"

* * *

Kate remained sitting on the couch where Alexis had left her, her eyes trained on the door to Rick's room and her laptop forgotten at her side. Alexis had been in there for a few minutes and she'd heard raised voices on one or two occasions. But it had all been quiet for a while now and she had no idea what that meant. She worried her bottom lip in her teeth as she tried to imagine what Alexis was saying to her father, or what Rick was telling his daughter. Had she gone too far in telling Alexis about what had happened this afternoon? Would Rick be angry with her for interfering in what was really a family affair between him, his ex-wife and their daughter? What would she say if he came out and asked her to leave? After what he'd said this afternoon that was perhaps unlikely but there wasn't really any real reason for her to stay now as the possibility of Meredith showing up out of the blue had already happened.

But the problem was she didn't feel ready to go home. A few days ago she'd have jumped at the chance to return to the safety of her apartment but a lot had happened in the past few days, before this afternoon's encounter with Rick's ex. She knew she had no real reason to stay, and certainly no right too, but she didn't quite know how it would feel to go back to her empty apartment now and she really didn't want to find out just yet.

So it was that when Rick's door finally clicked open Kate started guiltily and rose to her feet in trepidation, half-convinced Rick would descend upon her and demand she leave immediately. But instead of the angry father she'd been fearing Rick emerged from his room with his arm around his daughter and they were both laughing. And when Rick saw her standing there his face broke into one of the biggest grins she'd ever seen on his face.

"Kate, are you hungry? My daughter here tells me she could eat half a horse and I'm prepared to have a go at the other half if you are?"

"Hey!" Alexis protested, punching her father's arm in much the same way Kate herself did on occasion.

"Hungry?" Kate said quietly, taken aback by the sudden shift in mood. Rick had been sulky and sullen when he'd gone into his room and Alexis had been angry and irritated but now they were both grinning like idiots, seemingly without a care in the world.

"Yes, Alexis wants to go to this great restaurant around the corner. You'll love it!"

"You want me to come with you?" Kate asked hesitantly.

"Of course we do," Rick said in puzzlement. "Err, only if you want to come with us of course," he said, suddenly hesitant.

"Of course I want to come," Kate said quickly. "It's just that after this afternoon and what...what I told Alexis about what happened I wasn't sure..."

Rick took his arm from around Alexis and moved to stand directly in front of her. "Kate," he said quietly. "You have nothing to worry about. It's me who should be sorry, for abandoning you all afternoon whilst I sulked over Meredith!"

"I told you he was sulking," Alexis said from behind them.

"You, sshh," Rick said, pointing at his daughter without turning to face her as he kept his eyes locked on Kate's. "Kate, I am sorry I left you alone and I'm really sorry you had to explain my ex-wife's behaviour to my daughter. I should have been here to do that and you have my thanks for taking the responsibility."

"Your...thanks," Kate said. She had been prepared for Rick to be angry at her for telling Alexis about the argument but not for him thanking her for it.

"Yes. Thank you," Rick said, leaning forward to kiss her forehead in the same way she'd done to him earlier on. He pulled back far enough that he could look directly into her eyes and she could tell he was not lying, was not just saying that to spare her feelings. He was genuinely grateful and his eyes were full of the same emotion she'd seen there earlier on that day, in the moments before she'd leaned in to kiss him and Meredith's appearance had thrown such a curve ball into the day.

"Ahem," Alexis coughed from behind them. "If that's all sorted then I'm still famished and I'm not getting any less so standing here!"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: After the longest pause between chapters this one is perhaps the shortest gap between updates - mainly because this chapter has been in my mind for a while and I just needed the excuse to get it 'down on paper' (as it were). For those of you who've been with this story for a while hopefully you'll be happy with what happens :-)**

**I hope you enjoy and as always please feel free to let me know what you think, good or bad (as long as the bad is constructive!)**

* * *

Kate woke up early the next morning and lay in her bed looking blankly up at the ceiling as she thought over yesterday's events. It had been an emotional roller coaster of a day in so many ways, swinging from one end of the spectrum to another so quickly she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to absorb it all. Fortunately, the dinner at the local restaurant with Rick and Alexis at the end of the day had been much less emotionally complex than the rest of the day had been which at least allowed her to regain some sense of normality before retiring to bed for the night. Alexis had been dead right in that the food at the restaurant had been excellent - pricier than she would normally go for but Rick waved away her protests and insisted it was in payment for her patience with his rudeness during the afternoon. Kate didn't believe that for one minute but she let it pass after it became obvious he wasn't going to back down.

And so dinner out with the Castle's had been fun and normal, completely void of the turmoil of the rest of the day and Kate had almost been sorry when it was time to return back to the loft. She feared Rick might have wanted to talk to her about the events of the day and she wasn't sure she was ready to discuss such things with him again, not so soon after Meredith's visit. But fortunately for her he seemed to sense she needed some space to process everything and had simply bidden her goodnight shortly after they'd all arrived back.

And so she'd retreated to her room with the space she'd wanted but rather than feel relieved or relaxing she'd found herself feeling uncomfortable and tense, to the extent it had taken her a long time to fall asleep. She'd even been desperate enough at one point to consider for a brief moment returning to Rick's bed before dismissing the thought as ludicrous. She'd spent much of the past two nights sleeping next to her partner for one reason or another and it was ridiculous to think she would sleep any better there than here. Ridiculous and somewhat needy and if there was one thing she was not it was needy. She didn't 'need' to be by Rick's side just to sleep, not after just two days of doing so. But try as she might to dismiss that thought when she'd eventually fallen asleep it was in the full knowledge that whilst she might not _need_ to be sleeping downstairs next to her partner, quite a significant part of her _wanted_ to do so.

Kate glanced over at her phone on the bedside table. It was still quite early; early enough that she was fairly certain she would be the only person awake in the Castle household right now. She smiled to herself then as an idea struck her, she knew one person who would also be up this early because he always was and he was just the right person for her to speak to about the events of the past couple of days. Glad to have something to focus on, Kate got up and showered quickly. It was unlikely she'd run into any of the Castle's this early but she wanted to be up and out before they rose so she didn't have to explain where she was going - or why. She was downstairs no more than 10 minutes later, taking advantage of her years of being called out at all hours to be up, dressed and alert in almost no time. She paused at the bottom of the stairs, bottom lip in teeth as she considered what to do. Should she tell Rick where she was going or should she just go...? No, she couldn't just disappear with no word, no notice. She hurried over to a nearby table where Rick habitually kept one of a hundred different notepads and pens about the place in case an idea struck him and he needed to capture the thought immediately before he lost the thread. She thought for a moment about what to say before eventually deciding on something simple and to the point.

**Got bored waiting for you to get up so I've gone to see my Dad. Will be back some time later today.**

**K.**

There, it didn't say much but it said enough and hopefully Rick would understand and continue to give her some space to work things out in her head, for just a few hours longer. She walked over and put the note under a fridge magnet where she knew either Rick or Alexis would find it then hurried out of the loft before either of the Castle's could rise.

The drive over to her father's house was something she'd done a hundred times, even if this time she started out from Rick's loft rather than her own apartment. The traffic was not too bad at this early hour, for New York at least, and it wasn't all that long before she was pulling in to a very familiar driveway. She parked up behind her Dad's car and walked over to his front door, the gravel on his driveway crunching under her boots. She hesitated momentarily in front of his door, wondering if was indeed too early for her to be turning up out of the blue like this but she dismissed the doubt quickly and rang the doorbell. Sure enough, after only a few seconds the inner door opened and her father stood there staring up at her, a look of surprise on his face.

"Katie!" He said, smiling broadly as he opened the outer door, "This is a pleasant surprise!"

"Hi Dad," Kate said leaning in to hug her father. "I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time?"

"No, no of course not," her father replied, ushering her into the hallway. "You know I'm always up with the birds. Here, let me take that," he added, helping her out of her jacket and hanging it up for her on a nearby hook. "Would you like a drink?"

"Please," Kate replied, following her father into his kitchen. She smiled as she looked around the place, he still hadn't changed the decor despite saying he would a hundred times or more over the past few years. Kate found she was glad he hadn't as the familiar look of his kitchen brought back a lot of memories for her; many of them bad from his drinking days but many more of them good since he'd conquered his addiction.

"Here you are," her Dad said, interrupting her reminiscing by handing her a hot mug. "Your favourite coffee, just as you like it."

Kate smiled to herself as she took a sip of the hot liquid. She'd never had the heart to tell him she'd long since abandoned this particular brand for other, more flavourful varieties. Rick was partly at fault for that, occasionally varying the drinks he brought her just to watch her reaction when she tasted some new variety or other. But the coffee was hot and even if it was not quite as full flavoured as she preferred these days it tasted a lot to her of home and for that she was very grateful and would never tell her Dad to change it.

"Thanks," she said, leaning back against his kitchen counter. "I see you've really done well in doing up the place," she said, gently teasing him.

"Oh well, you know, I've been busy," he replied with a shrug. "So how are you honey? I've not seen you for a few weeks, what have you been up to?"

Kate hesitated in the act of lifting her mug to her lips. She'd come here today to specifically talk to her Dad about the events of the past few weeks but now the moment was here she didn't really know where to start.

"The same old kind of thing," she said with a shrug. "We've just finished a very sad case of a young woman who was unwittingly caught up in some sought of corporate espionage. Have you heard of Steer, Dawes and Gleaves?"

"Of course," her Dad replied. "I was just reading that one of the partners has been arrested for fraud. That was one of yours?"

"I'm afraid so. I can't say too much as it's still an open case..."

"Of course, of course," he agreed with an understanding nod. He would know better than most about just how much information she could or should divulge on an open investigation.

"...but there was a lot more to it than just fraud. Our victim was simply unlucky enough to have been caught up in the middle of it. A true case of wrong place, wrong time."

She shook her head, recalling for a moment her last interview with Sarah's fiancé. She'd at least been able to tell him why his wife-to-be had been killed, although it was debatable just how much comfort that was. She looked up at her Dad and could see the familiar tightening around his eyes which meant he was thinking of her own mother and how she had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time as well. Unlike Sarah's family, they still didn't know the complete story behind why her mother had been killed although she'd at least made some progress on that in recent years. Before she had been shot at least, when the trail had gone cold again.

"I'm sorry," Kate said, leaning forward to place a hand over her father's. "I didn't mean too...I should have thought that through before saying anything."

"No, no, don't worry," her father said with a sad little smile. "It's not your fault." He paused to take a deep breath and Kate could see him force a smile back on to his face. "So, what about things outside of work?" He asked, clearly wanting to move away from the subject of her job and more particularly the things she did and saw each day which were such a painful reminder to him of her mother.

"Oh, you know, nothing too exciting," she said, almost wincing at her completely unconvincing tone. Her father clearly picked up on the forced casualness in her voice as well as he raised an eyebrow at her response.

"Katie, is there something else you want to tell me?" He asked.

Kate suddenly felt like she was a little girl or a teenager again, caught out by her father doing something she shouldn't. She fought the urge to squirm or to hide her face behind her coffee mug - she was a grown woman for Christ's sake!

"There is something I wanted to talk to you about," she admitted. "About last summer."

"Last summer?" Her Dad repeated, this time raising both eyebrows in surprise. "Of course. Has this got anything to do with your therapy?"

"No, not exactly," she replied. "It has more to do with something Ri...Castle told me the other day."

"Your partner?" Her father said, his voice suddenly very neutral. "Well, I don't know him very well but go on," he prompted.

Kate spun her coffee mug from side to side slowly in her hands as she tried to come up with a way of asking her father about the phone calls Rick had told her about. She'd scarcely believed it when Rick had told her that her father had called him virtually every week of her convalescence but she could tell by his neutral tone he was hiding something from her and now she wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was.

"Katie," her father said after a few moments of silence. "I don't know what your partner has said which has upset you like this but I can't help if you don't tell me what it is that's bothering you."

"He hasn't said anything which has upset me," Kate replied quickly. She didn't want her father thinking Rick had done something to hurt her when he'd been nothing other than a true gentleman over the past few days. "It's just that he told me something which surprised me..."

"Yes...?" Her father said, leaning forward encouragingly.

"Dad, he said...he said that you...you called him when I was recovering," she said, the words coming out in a rush.

"That I called him..." Her father replied quietly, leaning back from her.

"Yes. That you called him virtually every week to let him know how I was getting on; how my recovery was progressing. He said you told him about the nightmares and the panic attacks and everything!" She didn't want to sound as if she was accusing her father of something but Kate couldn't quite keep a note of disappointment out of her voice. She really wasn't sure she wanted anyone other than her father to know just how hard those weeks had been; how long it had taken her to just get through a single day without collapsing into a ball and crying her eyes out. She looked at her Dad as he considered her words, his face suddenly quite grave.

"I'm surprised he told you but I won't deny it honey," he said after a few moments.

Kate had not expected anything less but it was still quite a shock to hear him admit it. "Why?" She said simply. "Why did you call Rick?"

"Why did I call Rick?" Her father repeated slowly. "Well there is really a very simple answer to that - Katie, if Rick has told you about the phone calls I'm guessing that he might have told you some other things as well...?"

Kate felt her cheeks redden immediately as this time she really _was_ a teenager again, being confronted by her Dad about her latest boyfriend. Just as she had back then, she found she had no words she could use to explain to her father what Rick had said; how she'd forced him to admit his feelings for her.

"I'll take that as a yes," her father said, smiling at her now violently blushing face. "Well I'm glad he's finally told you so I won't be giving anything away. You asked me why I called Rick and the simple reason is he loves you and I felt he had a right to know you were ok; that you were fighting back and that he shouldn't give up hope on you returning." He leaned forward again and took one of her hands from her mug to hold it in his. "I knew you would beat your demons honey and I knew you would eventually go back...when you were ready."

"How?" Kate asked weakly. "H...how did you know. That I would go back? Or about...about how he feels? Rick said he never said anything to you about it."

"He didn't have to say anything," her Dad replied, smiling warmly. "I suspected from the moment I read his first Nikki Heat book..."

"You've read that!" Kate exclaimed in surprise. Her Dad's taste in reading material was normally very different to her own and she didn't think he had ever read, or would ever read, a crime fiction novel.

"A book based on my only daughter? Of course I read it!" He replied. "Anyway, I suspected he might feel something for you from his book and, well, I knew you felt something towards him..."

"W...what!" Kate exclaimed in surprise.

"Katie please! If you keep interrupting like this I'll never finish explaining," he chided her. Kate snapped her mouth shut with an audible click at his gentle rebuke. How on earth did he expect her to react to such a statement!?

"As I was about to say, I knew you felt something towards him because of the way you spoke about him. Or more precisely because you spoke about him at all. You've had boyfriends about which you never told me much more than their names but when it comes to Rick you've always talked about how he did this or how the two of you did that."

"Of course I talk about him," Kate said defensively. "He's my partner; we practically spend every single day together! If I didn't talk about him I wouldn't have anything to talk about!"

"You've worked with plenty of others Katie," her father said gently. "And you've never talked about them in the way you talk about Rick. Believe me, you might not know you're doing it but when you talk about Rick you often have this look...I'm told I had a similar look when I talked to friends about your mother when we were dating."

"Rick and I are not dating!" Kate said quickly.

"And yet he's told you he loves you," he said simply and Kate found she had no answer to that, especially as her memory chose that moment to present her with an image of her climbing into his bed! They might not be 'actually' dating but whatever they were over the past few days they'd clearly moved beyond simple partnership or friendship.

"Anyway," her Dad said, returning to his explanation. "It only took a few seconds after I finally met Rick for me to know he obviously had feelings towards you and if I had any doubt then his reaction to your shooting was more than enough evidence for how he felt." He lowered his tone and looked directly into her eyes. "He was absolutely devastated in that hospital as we waited to hear if you would pull through. I wasn't in that great a shape myself to be honest as you can imagine but as worried sick for you as I was I knew Rick was at least as concerned as I was. Believe me, if you'd seen him during those long, long hours then...well there was no doubt about how he felt."

Kate lowered her eyes from her father's. She knew that as bad as her shooting had been for her it had been just as bad for him, if in a different way. He'd already lost her mother and the fear of what it would do to him if anything happened to her was one of the few things which constantly worried her about her job.

"I...I pushed him away," she said quietly, her voice close to breaking. "I told him I would call but I didn't..."

"Oh Katie honey, I know, I know," her father said stepping forward to enfold her in a hug. Kate felt the emotional turmoil of the past few days break inside her as she sobbed on to her father's shoulder. She clung on to him for several minutes as the tide washed over her until she was eventually able to pull back and draw an unsteady breath.

"I'm...I'm sorry," she mumbled, slightly embarrassed. Crying on her Dad's shoulder was nothing new, she'd done enough of that to last her a lifetime last summer, but even so she hated to show such weakness. It was one of the things Burke had been trying to get her to be more open about; to let her loved ones know how she was really feeling rather than bottling it up inside. Maybe he was finally getting through to her.

"Don't be," her father replied with a smile, leaning over to pass her a tissue. Kate dabbed at her eyes, grateful she'd not bothered with any makeup this morning before rushing out of the loft.

"You said...you said you knew I told Rick I would call him but I never did...did he tell you that?" She asked when she felt she could speak properly again without her voice cracking.

"No. Rick never mentioned it but he didn't have to. I told you I called him because I felt he needed to hear how you were doing. Well despite how I knew he felt about you I wouldn't have done that if I didn't think that's what you really wanted, even if you weren't able to say or even think about it yourself. During the first couple of weeks, when the nightmares were at their worst, you would talk, babble really, in your sleep..."

"I did?" Kate said, surprised. Her father had never mentioned that to her.

"Yes. Most of it was nonsense and made little sense but every now and again you would string a few intelligible words together. Don't worry; you never said anything bad or embarrassing or anything like that. But you did mention Rick's name more than once. Anyway even though you continued to refuse to talk to anyone whilst you were awake it became very clear to me that, subconsciously, you wanted Rick to know you were ok."

"I said that?" Kate whispered, disbelievingly. She had no memory whatsoever of wanting to talk to Rick whilst she recovered, quite the opposite! She clearly remembered not wanting to let him see her like that, so weak and so...afraid. It had taken her all of her time away just to build up enough courage to return to the precinct; to face all of her friends again. No-one but her and Burke knew how she'd spent most of those first few evenings back curled up in a ball at home, just building up enough courage to simply leave the apartment the next day and face them again.

"Yes," her father said simply. "More than once. So I took the decision to call him for you, to let him know on your behalf you were fighting back and one day you would return. And day by day, week by week you got better. You fought back against everything, fought so that you could return to your normal life. But I honestly think that strong as you are you would not have fought quite so hard to get back if it wasn't because you desperately wanted, needed, to get back...for him."

Kate stared at her father, not knowing what to say to that. She'd come here today to hear his explanation of why he'd taken it upon himself to call Rick whilst she'd been recovering when she had specifically repeated again and again that she didn't want to speak too or see anyone. The last thing she'd expected him to tell her was that whilst her waking mind was busy telling him not to call Rick her subconscious had apparently been screaming out at him to do the exact opposite! That in many ways her father had simply been acting on her instructions when he'd called Rick, albeit instructions she could not remember giving. It could all be a lie of course, she had no way of knowing whether anything her Dad had just told her was true, but she did not believe he would lie to her like that. Conceal things from her for her own good, maybe, but not outright lie to her face. Besides, what possible motive would he have for doing so? No, there was only one logical conclusion and that was everything he'd just told her was the simple truth.

"Katie, honey, are you ok?" Her Dad asked when she had not said anything for a few minutes.

"Ummm," she said distractedly before focussing her attention back on him. "Sorry, it's just...just a lot to take in, that's all."

"Yes, I'm sure it is. But I'm glad you finally know. I've argued a hundred times with myself just to tell you and I've always backed out, never knowing quite how to broach the subject. I hated keeping this from you but I only did so because I thought it was for the best. I hope you can forgive me."

"Forgive you? Oh Dad, there's nothing for me to forgive you for! I mean, part of me wishes I'd known what was going on but most of me recognises I don't know _how_ I would have handled it if I had known. I was _very_ adamant about not talking to Rick...whilst I was awake at least! Just please tell me there's nothing else from that time I should know about? No other secret murmurings which I've forgotten?"

"No, no I promise that's it," her father said, sitting back and laughing.

"Good, because I'm not sure I could cope with any more this week!"

* * *

The rest of the morning with her Dad passed very quickly and with much less intensity then the first half an hour. Their conversation drifted into her father's work and on the relative health of various old family friends, mainly current and former colleagues of her parents. Kate found it quite depressing how many of her Dad's friends were struggling with one illness or another, mainly brought about by age. It reminded her that her father, whilst far from old, was not a young man any more.

It was shortly after they'd had some lunch that Kate decided it was probably time for her to make a move and let her Dad get on with the day she'd basically dropped in on and taken over. He protested of course, told her she was welcome to stay as long as she wanted but she insisted it was time she left for home. It was at that point she realised that despite everything they'd discussed earlier on in the day there was one glaring omission - she'd not told her Dad she was staying with Rick! She considered for a moment there was no need to tell him that particular fact but common sense overcame her reluctance to share - if for whatever reason he needed to get hold of her in a hurry he needed to know where to find her.

"You're welcome to stay you know," he was saying again. "It really is no bother."

"I know Dad but...I need to get back. Um, there's something you should know, something I kind of forget to mention this morning."

"Oh," he replied, sounding curious.

"Yes. I'm...um...not staying at my apartment at the moment so of you need to get hold of me for any reason call my cell ok?"

"Of course, sure," he said waving away her comment. "Where aren't you staying at your apartment? Is there a problem?"

"No, no. No problem. It's a bit of a long story actually; I...I don't really know where to start." Kate felt her face begin to flush again, as it had done that morning and she cursed herself for not mentioning this then - not getting all of her embarrassment over and done with in one go. "I'm kind of staying...staying in Rick's spare room at the moment. Just for a few days," she said quickly.

"You're staying with Rick!?" Her Dad exclaimed, clearly surprised.

"In his _spare_ room, yes," she replied, emphasising 'spare' as much as she could. "As I said, it's a long story. His ex-wife is in town and she, shall we say, hasn't really grasped the 'ex' part of ex-wife. In a mad moment I somehow managed to agree to stay with Rick and his daughter for a few days, just whilst his ex-wife is in town. To help...um...watch his back."

Kate winced to herself as she said those last few words, aware of just how lame and contrived they sounded. If she hadn't been there she wasn't sure she would believe the reason why she was staying with Rick. One thing was for certain, she may have felt it necessary to tell her Dad where she was staying right now but she was damn well certain she wasn't going to tell him it had been her idea!

"Is she really that bad?" Her Dad asked.

"Meredith? Well, when we arrived back from lunch yesterday she was waiting _inside_ Rick's apartment after having stolen her own daughter's keys so she could get in. So pretty much yes, she is that unpredictable."

"And...and it's been whilst you've been staying with Rick that all this has come to a head...?" He asked shrewdly.

"Yes," Kate admitted with a sigh. "Although I think it would have happened sooner rather than later anyway. The only difference is we've had more time to talk over the past few days. Look, I really do need to get back. I left this morning before anyone else was up and...well I left a note but..."

"No buts, I understand. Go on, go, shoo!" Her Dad said with a smile ushering her towards the front door. "It's been great to see you Katie," he said, leaning over to kiss her cheek after she'd open the door.

Kate turned and hugged her father back, suddenly feeling like she didn't want to go at all. But she let him go after a few moments and smiled up at him. "Thanks Dad, for everything."

"Anytime," he replied with another smile.

"I'll let you know when I'm back at my apartment," she said as she stepped across the threshold of his door and onto his driveway. "Love you!"

"I love you too honey. Drive safely," he called as she got into her car. Kate reversed out onto the street with one simple practised moment, paused to wave at her dad where he still stood in his doorway before she pulled off for the drive back to Rick's loft.

* * *

Kate stood outside of Rick's loft, staring at the doorway, the key he'd given her held ready in one hand. The drive back had taken longer than the drive out to her Dad's place with the New York traffic much heavier than it had been this morning. During the long trip back she'd had plenty of time to think about what her Dad had said, about what Rick had said, basically about all of the things that had happened in the past week. By the time she'd pulled up she'd been fairly certain what she was going to do but now she was standing in front of his door her certainty had evaporated somewhat and she was left somewhat indecisive and nervous about going inside.

But her Dad had told her he thought she'd fought back from her shooting in a large part to be standing in front of this door, or more accurately because of the man on the other side of it. She'd racked her brains on the trip back trying to remember any of those dreams her Dad had spoken about, some fragment of what she'd said when her subconscious had control of her body but try as she might she couldn't remember any of it. She gritted her teeth, well standing here was achieving nothing and she was not one to back down from a challenge, especially one as potentially significant as this one. She placed the key in the lock and turned it to right with a quick jerk, pushing the door open before she could change her mind.

"Kate?" Rick's voice floated through the loft from the direction of his study. "Is that you?"

"Yes," she called back, closing the door behind her and shouldering out of her jacket. By the time she'd hung it up Rick was standing in his study doorway looking at her, his face reflecting both a smile and another emotion she couldn't quite place.

"How is your Dad?" He asked.

"He's fine," Kate replied, not moving from where she stood by the door, her eyes fixed on his. "You found my note ok then?" She asked.

"Yes," he said with another ghost of a smile. "Actually, Alexis found it but she made sure I saw it before she left. You got bored waiting for me? You must have been up really early?"

"What can I say, naturally early riser," she replied. "So, Alexis is out then is she?"

"Of course," He replied with a sigh. "She hadn't even left for college yet and she's already starting to treat this place like a hotel."

"And when is she due back?" Kate asked, trying to sound casual as she took one step into the room, one step closer to where he leaned against his study doorway.

"Not until late this evening," he replied, sounding a little puzzled. "She told me I would have to make dinner tonight, or we could go out again if you prefer?"

"No, no, I think I'd prefer to stay here," Kate replied taking another step closer to him. "Maybe I'll even cook for you," she said moving another step closer.

"That would be...nice," Rick replied, straightening slightly as she took one more step to stand right in front of him. "Kate...?" He asked as she reached up to stroke one of the lapels on his shirt.

"Ummm...?" She said, moving a little closer.

"What...," he coughed. "What are you doing?"

"Doing?" She said, sliding her free hand up his arm to rest it on his shoulder. "I'm considering doing something I've been thinking about for a while now, although I'm hoping this time there won't be _any_ interruptions!"

"Kate," Rick said, his voice strained as her face was now only a few centimetres away from his own. "Are you sure this is what you want...?"

"Rick?" Kate said, placing one finger on his lips to quiet him.

"Hmmm...?" He replied.

"Shut up," she said before removing her finger and leaning in to kiss him. Rick didn't respond for a second or two and Kate seriously considered stamping on his foot with her boots to get him started but before she could so much as twitch her leg she felt his hands come up to grasp her back, pulling her closer to him as he finally kissed her back. Kate heard herself gasp as she grasped him tighter with her own hands, pushing herself forward so as much of her as possible was in contact with him. After a very long moment they broke the kiss and Kate tilted her head back as he moved his lips down to kiss her chin, her neck, the hollow of her throat, the last of which caused another involuntary gasp to escape her lips and sent a shiver down her spine which hinted at so much more to come.

"Kate," Rick whispered by her ear. "If you want to stop," he gasped. "Then now is the time because I'm not sure I'll be able to if we carry on..."

Kate pulled back from him enough to look into his eyes, to see the desire there which she knew was reflected in her own. "Stop?" She said quietly. "Stopping is the last thing on my mind right now," she said, reaching down to grab one of his hands with hers. She kissed him again, felt her desire rise once more to meet his as he responded immediately this time before she eventually forced herself to step back. With his hand still firmly grasped in his she led him across his study and into his bedroom, pausing only long enough to firmly close his bedroom door behind them.

* * *

**A/N: I don't intened to end this story here, there are still a few chapters left I think, but for those of you who have stuck with this for 15 chapters and 90k words (which I would never have believed myself capable of writing!) I hope the wait was worthwhile...this is after all just a beginning :-) **

**Now, on to Rick and Kate dealing with the change in their relationship and tying up a few loose ends: such as Meredith, Rick and Kate's colleagues (with whom I intend to have some fun with!) and maybe even a return to the case to find out what happened to the killer - just don't ask me right now because I have no idea :-) Hopefully inspiration will strike...!**


	16. Chapter 16

Rick smiled down and the woman beside him, noting every gentle curve and line of her body as she lay with her eyes closed. Their lovemaking had been both frenzied and controlled in equal measures as the years of if, buts and maybes between them had finally been blown away. He had no idea what Kate had discussed with her father but whatever it was it seemed to have blown away the last vestiges of the walls she'd built up inside her and he would forever be in Jim's debt - even more so than he was already.

He'd been delighted to find that when Kate had finally allowed him in she seemed to have done so completely, with no hesitation or pause. In his experience of her she had always been that way, extremely tough to convince, as you would expect in a cop, but once she made her mind up she dived all in. He supposed that was one of the major reasons why she'd found it so difficult to open up to him before now. He knew she'd long feared he wanted her only because he couldn't have her and for a while back in their early days together she would probably have been right. But he _knew_ his feelings for her had long since passed beyond simple desire. Oh, he was still incredibly attracted to her, she was a very beautiful woman after all, but the physical attraction was easily matched and even surpassed by his mental and emotional attachment too her - to the point where he'd lost any ability to think about his future without her in it.

"You're staring again," Kate said suddenly, making him start.

"One day I'll understand just how you do that," he teased gently, letting one hand slip down to rest on her flat stomach.

"I've told you before," she replied, opening her eyes and smiling up at him. "It's easy because you're _always_ staring."

"Only ever at you, my dear detective. Only ever at you," he said, leaning down to kiss her lips with his, a kiss she responded to immediately.

"You know that's a little creepy, right?" She asked when he eventually broke away.

"Maybe," he replied with a negligent shrug. "Would you rather I stopped?"

"God no!" Kate exclaimed with a soft laugh. "I have no idea I'd do if I didn't find you staring at me whenever I turned round...it would feel all wrong!"

"In that case," he said kissing her again. "I will happily make it my life's work..." he paused to kiss her once more, this time along her jaw line."To let you catch me staring at you...at least once, each and every day..." He finished, allowing his lips to reach the hollow at the base of her throat, an area he'd already found to be very sensitive.

"You do that," Kate almost growled before she tightened her arms around him to pull him closer...

* * *

They eventually made it out of bed and into his living area not long before Alexis returned home. Rick would happily have stayed right where he was but Kate had pointed out their current locale was perhaps _not_ the best place for his daughter to find them when she got back. He knew Alexis had already told him she was quite comfortable, even happy, with the idea of them being together but he'd had to concede there was a big difference between knowing his daughter was likely to be happy for them and her coming home to find them in bed together!

And so when Alexis did get home they were up and respectable again; he was in his kitchen preparing some much needed food (they'd burnt off a lot of calories this afternoon, one way or another) whilst Kate sat at his kitchen counter, idly nursing her trademark cup of coffee.

"Hi Dad, Kate," Alexis greeted them with a tired sounding voice as she dropped her bag by the door and hung up her jacket.

"Hi Pumpkin," he replied. "You sound like you've had a busy day?"

"I have," She confirmed as she slumped into a chair next to Kate. "I think my brain is about ready to explode!"

"Well, I always said all that studying wasn't good for you," he quipped, earning a disapproving look from both his daughter and his...partner. Yes, partner was safe enough.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, ignoring the twin looks of disapproval. "I was just making some dinner for Kate and I."

"Please," Alexis replied at once, the look of disapproval dropping from her face. "I'm famished!"

"You know," he said as he opened a cupboard to get some more pasta for the dish he was preparing. "When you go off to college you've got to start thinking about looking after yourself properly instead of becoming so lost in work you forget to eat. I won't be there at the end of the day to make sure you eat properly you know."

"Dad!" Alexis protested with a quick sidelong glance of embarrassment at Kate. "I think I'm old enough to look after myself..."

"I'm sure you are," he replied reassuringly whilst adding the additional pasta to the saucepan of simmering water. "But this is the second day running you've come home without eating properly...can't your old Dad just worry about you, for a few more days at least?"

"Fine, whatever," Alexis replied with a tolerant looking smile. She turned to Kate, "Was your Dad like this when you were my age?" She asked.

"What do you mean when I was your age? He still is now!" Kate replied with a broad smile. "I don't think Dads ever quite accept their little girls grow up."

"You mean I've got to put up with this for the rest of my life?" Alexis asked with a theatrical groan his mother would have been proud of.

"It's not all bad," Kate said with a shrug. "You get used to it after a few years. Besides, father's can make very good listeners sometimes," she added, glancing in his direction. "So it's worth putting up with their over-protectiveness just for the occasional good word of advice about what is important in life."

It was an innocent enough observation but in the context of today Kate's casual statement spoke directly to Rick. He stood frozen to the spot, his eyes locked on Kate's and, he was fairly sure, a silly little grin on his face as he gazed on the women he loved.

"Uh...ok-ay," Alexis said after a few moments, bringing Rick's scattered thoughts back to the here and now. He glanced a little guiltily at his daughter, who was looking between him and Kate with a puzzled frown.

"Yes...um...right," he managed to stutter out. "Ah, this will be ready in about 15 minutes," he added, desperately grasping at anything to change the subject.

"Ok...I'll just go and freshen up a bit then," Alexis said slowly, still looking between the two of them as she got to her feet.

"Yes, fine, ok," he heard himself say. "I'll give you a shout if you're not back before it's ready."

Alexis simply nodded her agreement and wandered off towards her room, still glancing their way occasionally as she made her way up the stairs until she was eventually out of sight. Rick waited until he heard her door open and close before he explosively let out the breath he'd not even realised he'd been holding.

"Well, _that_ got a little awkward," he managed after a few moments. He wandered over to his wine rack, poured two glasses of a nice red before making his way over to Kate and handing one to her.

"Hmmm," she agreed, taking a sip of her wine. "This...," Kate said waving one hand vaguely between the two of them. "This is going to take some getting used to."

"Well, we have been dancing around each other for a while," he replied with an encouraging smile. "It's bound to feel a little strange at first." He reached over to hold her free hand in his. "But I hope you agree a little awkwardness here and there is all worthwhile?"

"Hmmm, yes, I think so," she replied with a gentle laugh. "But seriously Rick, we've got to be more careful. If we can't keep our eyes off each other here then how are we going to manage to at work? We can't let anyone there know about this."

"Are you ashamed of me detective?" he asked, trying to keep his voice light but feeling a little hurt she didn't want any of their friends to know about them.

"What? Don't be ridiculous!" Kate replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "It's just that the NYPD has some _very_ specific rules about partners being more than...well just friends. If Gates finds out about this then you'll be out of the precinct quicker than you can blink!" She paused to take a breath. "I...I don't want that to happen," she finished in a much quieter tone of voice.

"It won't," he said as confidently as he could. "Besides, I don't _actually_ work for the NYPD remember? So those rules don't apply to us, not really."

"Huh," Kate snorted. "We both know Gates will use any excuse to get you out of the precinct and this would be more than enough for her. Anyway, Gates aside Rick, I really want to keep this just between us for now; for a while at least. It really is going to take quite a lot of getting used to and I don't want to deal with the guys or, heaven forbid, with Lanie until _I'm_ ready to do so. You understand don't you?"

"Of course I do, completely," he assured her, lifting the hand he held to kiss it gently. "Really Kate, it's going to take some time for _me_ to adjust to this as well you know and frankly I'm just delighted you're thinking about telling them at all in some future time as that means you're thinking about us still being, well, more than just partners for a while."

"Did you have any doubt? Rick this isn't a one night stand for me you know," she said, her voice containing just a hint of panic.

"Afternoon," he corrected her.

"What?"

"That would be a 'one afternoon stand' not 'one night'. And not for one second did I think today wasn't a lot more than that. I love you Kate and now that I have finally managed to breach those walls of yours I have no intention of _ever_ letting you escape me."

"Very poetic...you should be a writer," she replied, leaning forward to kiss him in a way which completely took his breath away and only stiffened his resolve to make sure he hung on to this woman for the rest of his natural life.

* * *

He thought they managed to get through dinner with his daughter in a fairly normal manner. Ok, he wouldn't normally spend the time with one of his legs pressed up against Kate's but there was no way his daughter could actually see the contact between them and as long as they kept the conversation normal above the table then everything was fine. The only slightly dodgy moment had been when Alexis had innocently asked what they'd got up to during the afternoon and it had been a few very long moments before either one of them managed to answer - he certainly knew all he could think of was the image of Kate naked and aroused in his bed!

Fortunately Kate managed to choke out something about looking through the memory stick he'd given her with all his notes which immediately drew his daughter's attention and blissfully led them away from exactly what he and Kate had spent their afternoon doing. Kate's comment led on to a long conversation about some of his work, a conversation it was only possible for him to have with these two people; the only two besides himself to have seen, let alone read, much of that material. Kate's extraordinary mind had already absorbed an astonishing amount of information from his notes and he delighted in the lively counter-play between the three of them as they agreed or disagreed on some small point or other.

All in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable time spent with his two favourite women and despite his desire to get Kate alone again so they could continue their afternoon activities he found himself slightly disappointed when Alexis decided to call it a night. His disappointment didn't last long however as Kate moved over to his side after Alexis had disappeared upstairs to kiss him hard and passionately.

"I've been wanting to do that all evening," she breathed, her voice low and soft and, to his ears at least, incredibly sexy.

"Me too," he agreed, settling one arm around her to pull her closer to him. "That and a few...other things," he added with a grin.

"Other things?" Kate asked innocently. "With your only daughter in the house? Do you really think that's wise?" She continued, teasingly twisting one finger around the top button of his shirt.

"Maybe, maybe not, but," he lifted one hand to gently guide her lips close to his. "Do you really think either one of us is capable of retreating to our separate rooms alone tonight?"

"Oh I don't know Rick," she whispered, her breath causing his lips to tingle with anticipation with every word. "I'm sure _I_ could if I really wanted to."

"And do you want to detective?" He asked, moving his free hand down until his fingers found the bare skin between the hem of her shirt and the top of her pants.

"Hmmm...I'm undecided," she replied.

"Then let me help make up your mind," he said, closing the small gap between them to bring their lips together.

They did make it to his room eventually, but only after an immense force of will. Somehow, Kate managed to retain enough awareness despite their shared passion to grab and set the alarm on his phone to some ridiculously early hour so she could retreat to her own room before Alexis was up and about. But everything after that blurred into writhing mix of naked limbs and stifled groans until they eventually passed out next to each other; their bodies exhausted and sated.

Rick had no idea what time they had finally given in to exhaustion, having lost all sense of everything other than the woman in his arms, but it seemed like only a few minutes had passed when a shrill buzz from his phone woke him from his comfortable slumber with an unpleasant jerk.

"Urgh," he managed to groan. "It can't be morning already." He turned over just as Kate sat up to reach for his phone and even in his befuddled state he couldn't help but smile at her naked silhouette. He really was in some kind of heaven, with the women he loved beside him after, cliché though it was, he could only describe as a night of unbridled passion.

But instead of turning his phone's alarm off as he'd expected Kate just sat there staring at it, her eyes widening slightly in the dim light. Rick tried forced his tired brain to wake up and as he became more aware he realised he'd missed a vital piece of information up until now. Kate had not turned the alarm off on his phone because the tone it was playing was not his alarm! His phone was ringing, in the middle of the night, and Kate was holding it her hands whilst she sat naked in bed beside him.

"Who is it?" He asked, sitting up to take the phone from her unresisting hands.

"Espo," Kate whispered, turning to look at him with her wide eyes. "Why is Espo calling? He can't possibly know...? Can he?"

"No, of course not," he replied, trying to sound confident and ignoring the sudden doubt which sprang up in the back of his head. Of course Esposito didn't know! How could he. "What should I do?" He asked.

"What would you normally do?" She replied.

"If Espo called in the middle of the night? Answer it immediately."

"Well answer it then!" Kate said urgently. "And try to sound normal!"

"Normal!" He exclaimed. "The two of us are in bed together and you want me to sound normal?" He paused to take a breath. "Ok, normal, right...I can do that..."

"Just answer it!" Kate replied, an edge of panic in her voice.

"Ok, ok," he said, pressing the answer button.

"Espo? What is it?" He said, trying to sound like he'd just been woken up.

"Castle man, what took you so long to answer?" Came the familiar voice.

"You do know it is...ah...2:47 in the morning right?" He replied, allowing a little surliness to creep in to his voice.

"Of course I do. Look, is Beckett still staying at you place?"

Rick exchanged a glance with Kate before clearing his throat to answer. "Beckett? Well she was the last time I saw her," he said truthfully. "Why? Is something wrong?" At the mention of her name Kate leaned in and he turned the phone slightly so they could both hear what Espo had to say.

"She's not answering her cell and I need to get hold of her right now," Esposito replied, his voice taking on a slightly frantic tone.

"Oh? What's so urgent? I thought Beckett was off duty for another day or so?"

"She is but...a body has dropped and this one has her name written all over it...literally!"

"Sorry?" He replied, in complete puzzlement.

"The body man," Esposito carried on. "There is a note and it's addressed to Beckett. Gates is here at the scene and she wants her here like yesterday!"

"Gates is there," Kate yelped from beside him before covering her mouth with her hands.

He glared at her before they both turned to stare at the phone, which was ominously quiet for a few moments. Eventually Esposito said in Rick's ear, "Was that Beckett?"

"Beckett? No of course not," he lied. "You just caught me by surprise saying Gates was there and I may have...uh...yelped a little girlishly..." He finished with a cringe. It was a terrible lie and he knew it but he hadn't had much to work with or any time to think of anything better.

"Sure sounded a lot like Beckett?" Esposito's said sounding suspicious.

"Esposito, believe me. If Beckett was in my bedroom at this time of night then I most definitely _wouldn't_ be answering calls from you," he said, earning a jab on the arm from Kate. "Now what was it you said about a note?" he asked. Kate leaned in again so she could hear Esposito's response.

"The note, yeah right. Look Castle the dead guy has a message to Beckett scrawled on his chest. It's from that Daniels guy. She needs to get here right now before Gates blows a gasket!"

"Daniels has written a note to Beckett on a dead guy's chest? Why would he do that? What does it say?"

"Does it matter? Look Castle, if I can't get Beckett here pronto there will be another body in that room as Gates will kill me..."

"Ok right fine! I'll go upstairs and wake her. But if she shoots me for barging in on her in the middle of the night then I'm blaming you, even if it means having to haunt you from beyond the grave!"

"Ha-ha, very funny. Just go get her up and get her to 145 Second St. ASAP alright," Esposito replied, cutting the call.

The two of them stared at the cell then at each other in shock for a few moments before Kate asked, "Do you think he bought it?"

"About you not being here? Maybe. He seemed to have a lot on his mind..."

"The body. Why would Daniels scrawl a note on a dead body for me?" Kate asked, hopping out of bed and scrambling around for her clothes.

"Beats me," he replied, swinging his legs out to stand up.

"I've got to go," she said as she pulled her top over her head. "If Gates is there then it's got to be something serious!"

"We've got to go," he corrected her. "There is no way Esposito would ever believe I wouldn't come with you if I'd _actually_ had to go upstairs to wake you...unless of course you _did_ shoot me..."

Kate paused in her hurried dressing to look over at him. "Why don't you try it one night and you'll find out," she replied, somewhat cryptically. "Uh...Rick, Do you think you're up to this? With your ribs I mean?" She asked.

"Kate," he replied patiently. "I hope I've managed to demonstrate quite clearly in the last few hours that I've fully recovered from that blow."

"But the bruise on your side..." she said, reaching over to touch said spot, which was still an ugly purple and yellow colour.

"Is still sore but is no longer hampering me. Kate I'll be fine, trust me. If this Daniels guy, or whatever his real name is, is leaving notes addressed to you on dead bodies then I want to be there by your side...I need to be there."

Kate considered him for a moment, long enough for him to worry she was going to try to argue him out of coming, but she eventually just leaned over to briefly, but tenderly, touch her lips to his. "Fine," she said as she pulled back. "Just hurry up. Gates will be getting more and more irritable by the minute!"

* * *

It didn't take them long to get to the crime scene, with even the notorious New York traffic relatively quite at 3am. They spent what time they had on the journey over making sure Kate had a decent excuse for not answering her cell when Espo had called. In the end they decided to stick with something simple as simple lies were the easiest. Their time was well spent as they had no trouble finding the Latin detective when they arrived, as he hurried over to them almost before Kate had finished pulling her car over to the kerb.

"Beckett, thank God!" He said in relieved greeting.

"I'm so sorry Espo," Kate said immediately. "I somehow managed to leave my god-damn cell on silent! How bad is Gates?"

"She's not happy," Esposito said glumly as he led them towards and into a building. "Ah...I didn't tell her I couldn't get hold of you on your cell but you might want to...ah...think about not bringing Castle in to this one." He turned to give Rick an apologetic look. "No offence man but if Gates thinks Beckett took any extra time going out of her way to pick you up...well, I'm sure you can imagine her reaction."

"No worries, I get it," Rick replied with a shudder. An angry Gates was not a good idea at the best of times and the last thing he wanted to do right now was to cause his partner any grief with the irascible captain. "I'll just wait in the car."

"Here, you'll need these," Kate said, handing her car keys over to him. She allowed her hand to brush against his as he took the keys from her and he nodded almost imperceptibly to let her know he understood. He wanted to be there and she wanted him there but they had no choice to tread carefully around Gates...especially now.

"You'll fill me in on all the details?" He asked.

"Of course," she replied quietly.

A slightly awkward silence descended for a few moments until Esposito cleared his throat. "Ah, carry on up the stairs and take the first door on the left. The scene's in one of the apartments down the hall."

"You're not coming?" Kate asked in surprise.

"I've seen it already and Gates has ordered me to start calling in as many detectives as I can. I don't need or want to face her again until I've done just that!" He exclaimed with a shudder.

"That bad?" Kate said.

"Worse. Let me know if Ryan's still in one piece 'k."

"Right, great," Kate muttered to herself. She took one last look over at them before squaring her shoulders and striding away to meet her fate.

"You owe me big time," Rick said as he walked back towards Kate's car with Esposito.

"What? Why?"

"For bravely going in to Kate's room and getting her up," he replied. They'd agreed on the way over here they needed to build on this white lie with Espo before he had any more time to dwell on what he'd heard, or 'thought' he'd heard. "She wasn't happy I can tell you! I had to do some _very_ fast talking just to get her to pick up and check her phone."

"But she didn't shoot you though, right," Esposito stated.

"No, but I think she was seriously considering it! Seriously Espo, I don't actually know if she sleeps with her gun to hand or not but there were a few moments there when I thought I was about to find out!" He said, adding in a little shudder to hammer his point home (his mother would be so proud).

"Ah, come on Castle," Esposito said with a grin as they reached Kate's car. "You should be the one owing me a favour..."

"Really? And how exactly do you figure that?"

"Simple. I gave you a perfectly legitimate excuse to see Beckett in her pyjamas...or lack of them!" Esposito said, now grinning broadly. "You can't tell me _that_ wasn't worth the small risk she might shoot you?"

Rick had to think carefully before he replied. He'd seen Kate both in and out of her night clothes quite a bit over the past few hours and there was no denying those images were extremely high on his all time favourite list of memories. But he had to respond as if he'd never seen Kate in any state of undress, her exploding apartment notwithstanding, otherwise he would only raise Espo's suspicions and the detective might think a little more about the voice he'd heard on his cell.

"Well, how about we call it even then?" He said, allowing a sly grin of his own to split his face.

Esposito threw back his head and laughed loudly. Rick sighed gently in relief; it seemed their story was enough to convince Espo and their secret was safe...for now at least.

* * *

Kate approached the doorway to their scene, nodding a greeting at the uniform who stood on guard as she did so. When she got there she immediately noted the room beyond the doorway was even more crowded than a normal murder scene would be; it seemed like Gates had dragged every cop in her precinct to this one room. There were CSU techs galore and more uniforms than should ever be in one small apartment. The woman at the centre of this organised chaos was standing with her back to the door, talking animatedly with a very harassed looking Ryan. Kate winced at her fellow detective, knowing it was now her turn to be the focus of Gates' ire. She wanted to delay that moment for as long as possible but she couldn't let Ryan continue taking the heat like this for her.

"Captain, you wanted to see me," she said loudly, causing Ryan to look up and sigh in relief and Gates to whip round to face her.

"Detective Beckett," Gates said slowly. "So nice of you to finally join us," she added, somewhat waspishly.

"I was off-duty...sir," she replied, trying to control her own temper. "You told me, and my team, to relax for the weekend..." She reminded the smaller woman.

"That's no excuse..." Gates began to respond before visibly reigning herself in. "Yes, yes, you are right of course."

Kate's eyes widened slightly in surprise and Ryan almost dropped his notepad in outright shock at the seemingly easy victory over their Captain. She'd been expecting 'Iron' Gates to chew her out for her borderline insubordinate response and was prepared to take the full force of her commanding officer's irritation to shift her focus from Ryan and allow the Irish detective to escape. She hadn't expected the almost apology or the weary looking slump to Gates' shoulders as she'd spoken. She caught Ryan's eye and nodded towards the door. He got her hint immediately and mumbled some excuse to leave and hurried out of the room before Gates could regain her normal self.

"It was no problem, sir," she said carefully as she stepped further into the room. "I understand our killer is making this one personal?" She queried.

"In more ways than one detective, in more ways than one," Gates replied quietly. The captain turned on her heel and gestured to the body which had lain hidden behind her until now. The body was surrounded by CSU techs that Gates, regaining some of her normal spirit, waved away so that Kate could get a closer look.

She knelt down beside the body and could immediately see the bullet wound in the guy's temple. Small and neat like the one in Chambers' had been, almost certainly from the same gun. Powerful enough to penetrate a skull at close range and to turn the unfortunate victim's brains to mush but not powerful enough to explode from the other side to spray blood and brains over the surrounding area. Relatively quiet, neat and very, very effective. She lowered her gaze to the man's chest, where his shirt had been ripped aside. Somewhat gruesomely pinned to the man's chest was the note Espo had mentioned, addressed directly to her:

**Detective Beckett, 12th.**

**Your premature arrest of Dawes cost me $5m and cost this man his life. As Dawes is a coward I know he would have split his guts by now so let this man's death serve as a warning. Don't come looking for me or this will be your fate as well.**

**_Daniels_**

Kate read the note through several times before levering herself back onto her feet. She turned to face Gates and asked, "Do we know who he is?"

"Yes," Gates replied. "James Hicks. He is...was a partner at a law firm in the city. I'm guessing he was going to pay Daniels for Dawes' dirty secrets but tried to back out after we arrested Dawes. Any secret's Daniels might have had would have become worthless at that point..." she said, trailing off.

Kate looked again at her captain. Something was off here. Gates' unusual attitude; her being here and being even more aggressive and demanding than usual; her sudden capitulation to Kate's own cheeky response. Something more was definitely going on here than immediately met the eye.

"Captain," Kate said quietly, leaning in towards her superior officer. "If there is more to this...I'll need to know."

Gates looked up sharply and her eyes narrowed dangerously for a few moments. But again she surprised Kate by not exploding at her; instead she grabbed her sleeve and dragged her away from the body and into a quiet corner of the room. After checking to make sure no one was close or listening she started to whisper.

"Beckett. That man over there...I know him. He used to work with my husband..."

"What...!" Kate exclaimed.

"Keep your voice down detective," Gates admonished, with some of her normal steel returning to her voice. "Years ago, before my husband changed firms, he used to work for Jim...for James Hicks. I used to see him a few times a year, at company functions and the like. My husband kept in touch with him for a while after he quit but neither of us has seen or spoken to him in, oh, a couple of years or so I guess. I still exchange Christmas cards with his wife, Evelyn. She is going to be devastated."

Kate listened to her Captain's words and unusually felt some sympathy towards her, understanding at last why she was here and why she was acting so out of character. As cops they all knew this might happen one day. As big a city a New York was there was always the possibility one of their vics would be known to them. It didn't happen often but Kate didn't know a cop alive who didn't dread turning up at a scene to find a loved one or friend involved...and that dread was worse for homicide cops because it inevitably meant someone close to them was dead.

"I'm sorry sir," she said, meaning every word.

"Hmm, yes," Gates replied, waving of her statement. "Look Beckett, you're the best I have, you and that...partner of yours. I know it's a lot to ask, given Daniels' threat, but I want you and your team to lead on this one."

"Of course sir," Kate said immediately. She'd never for one moment considered not taking the lead on this case. She'd actually thought she'd have to fight Gates to let her on to this one, given the circumstances, so she was more than happy for her Captain just to give it to her. She'd been frustrated and irritated that Daniels had gotten away scot free with Chambers' murder but with no evidence he was still in the city his trail had gone cold and in all probability he would have never been brought to account for his crime. But now there was proof he was still in the city, at least in the past few hours, then this was her chance to track the killer down.

"Thank you detective," Gates said. "Now, I've got to go and inform Evelyn of her husband's death. Gather your team together and get this son of a bitch," she finished firmly before walking away.

* * *

"Well?" Rick asked when Kate rejoined him in the car. "How was Gates?"

"Pissed," she replied. "Where are Espo and Ryan?"

"Ah, I think they retreated to the furthest point that can still be called 'at the scene'. What happened? What did the note say?" He asked.

"Here," Kate replied, handing him her phone.

"You took a picture?" He exclaimed in surprise. "Of an active crime scene...you!?"

"Only to keep you quiet. Once you've read the note I'm deleting it," she replied. "So hurry up!"

Rick did as he was told and quickly read through the note.

"That's not very nice," he eventually said, giving Kate's phone back to her.

"No, not really," Kate replied as she deleted the image.

"You're not going to let that stop you though are you?" He asked her.

"Of course not!"

"Good," he replied. He hadn't expected anything else and would have been surprised by any other answer. Daniels may be a lot of things but he was one dumb guy to think threatening Kate in this way would get her off his back. No a note like that would only make her want to catch Daniels even more and make sure he paid for his crimes.

"But what about Gates? Is she going to let you lead on this?"

Kate paused for a second before answering and when she did her tone was quiet and serious. "Gates knew the victim Rick," she said. "He used to work with her husband. It seems they hadn't been in contact recently, outside a yearly Christmas card, but still..."

"Oh," was all Rick could think to say. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to personally know one of the victims. In his time with Kate their paths had crossed with old friends and acquaintances that got dragged into their investigations but to actually know one of the victims...that must be terrible. "I guess that's why she's so pissed," he added, somewhat lamely.

"Uh-huh. She wants us, all of us, to throw everything at getting this guy. I suspect we're going to get all the help and assistance she can swing to bring this guy in. Let's sweep up Ryan and Espo and get over to the precinct...Gates will have all of the evidence flooding in as quickly as she can and we've got to be ready."

"Wait," Rick said as Kate's words registered. "Gates actually said 'all of us'? Including me?"

"Yeah. It seems despite all her protestations to the contrary she actually seems to have developed at least a little respect for your detective skills. Weird huh."

"Wow," he whistled. Then added, rather smugly: "I knew I'd win her over, eventually."

"Don't put your arm out patting yourself on the back," Kate replied, rolling her eyes at him in what he chose to believe was good natured tolerance. "C'mon, let's find the guys and get started on bringing this guy in."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: 100k+ words! Not bad for something which started out in a oneshot as a single image of Kate falling asleep on Rick's shoulder! And I'm not quite finished with this yet...I don't think I'll reach 200k but 150k might just be in sight by the time I'm done :-)**

**I hope you enjoy this latest installment.**

* * *

Despite the still very early hour Kate had been correct in her assumption Gates would pull out all of the stops on this one. Each and every murder case was important of course but it was impractical for the homicide department to focus _all_ of its resources on every one. But with Daniels seeming to have committed two homicides (at least) now and with this victim known to the Captain...well for a short time at least the entire department's resources were all aligned and a huge amount of data and information poured in to Kate and her team. Without even asking for them Kate had a copy of their latest vic's call records appear in her inbox - the captain was definitely calling in a few favours! She passed the records off on to Ryan and Esposito to analyse whilst she and Rick started to pull together a murder board comprised of everything they knew from the Chambers case and the information which started coming in on the Hicks case.

James Hicks had been a senior partner in yet another law firm - Sullivan and Sterling. Unlike Steer, Davies and Gleaves Kate had actually heard of Sullivan and Sterling, although only because their name had made the news more than once in recent months as the firm suffered badly in the economic downturn. S&S had let hundreds go over the past couple of years and if the news reports were to be believed the old firm was on the edge of complete collapse. It seemed quite plausible a man like Hicks, someone used to success and desperate to save his firm and his job, would be interested in material about a rival like SDG. Before Dawes' arrest the chance to bring down one of their biggest (and until recently much more successful) rivals would have been a significant temptation to a man like Hicks. Not only would exposing Dawes safeguard his job but if he'd managed to single-handedly pull the rug out from SDG he would have attracted a lot of new business to S&S and would have been a hero at the firm. A temptation indeed.

But as Gates had already surmised, all of that potential would have disappeared the moment Dawes was arrested. Oh, no doubt S&S would still pick up a fair amount of SDG's client base as the scandal hit firm haemorrhaged clients, maybe even enough to keep it afloat. But Hicks would not have been the hero so a $5m price for Daniels now virtually worthless evidence of Dawes' fraud would have been a complete waste of money and a man like Hicks would not have hesitated in pulling out of the deal. Sadly, all of that was mere speculation at this point. All they had was Daniels' note - which for all they knew could be a complete fabrication, much like his Petrucci story on the Chambers case had been. They would need some solid evidence of contact between the two men and ideally something to corroborate the $5m figure before they could even begin to consider that theory as something they could put before a jury.

Hence, by the time most people were just starting their day Kate and her team had been at it for hours. The murder board now filled with those pieces of information she'd deemed useful from everything that had come in. They had two timelines sketched out - one for the Chambers murder and one for Hicks - although neither one was as complete as Kate would have liked by the time Gates returned to the precinct.

"What have you got?" Gates demanded, without any preamble.

"We've got an almost complete timeline of Hicks' movements in the hours leading up to his death," she said indicating the board. "There are still more gaps than I would like but for so early on we've managed to piece together a fair amount. Unfortunately none of what we've put together so far is standing out. Hicks doesn't seem to have made any out of place phone calls during that time and his movements seem normal. Did his wife give you anything we could use?"

"No," Gates grunted. "According to Evelyn yesterday had been a normal Saturday. Jim had spent a few hours working as he always did on a Saturday morning before going out for a run. She mentioned he'd seemed a little distracted when he got back but he often was these days with what was going on at S&S. Here," she said, digging into a pocket and handing a small note book to Ryan. "You should take a copy of my notes, for the record."

"Yes sir," Ryan replied immediately, taking the pad and hurrying over to one of the department's photocopiers.

"Have you got any more?" Gates asked, turning her attention back to Kate.

"Nothing concrete as yet," Kate admitted reluctantly. "But we already formulated some ideas to look in to."

"Such as...?" Gates prompted.

Kate turned slightly and gestured at Rick. In between their work on cataloguing the information which had come in they'd had some opportunity to discuss Daniels' motives and as usual Rick had been full of theories. Once Kate had dismissed his more ludicrous thoughts, he just _had_ to have a CIA conspiracy idea in there somewhere, he'd had some excellent insights. Kate could have repeated those directly to Gates herself but she felt this was a good opportunity to underscore Rick's value to her Captain...given what had happened between them they might need some goodwill from Gates at some point and there was no harm in starting to build on that sooner rather than later. Rick coughed in surprise at having the floor unexpectedly handed over to him but he recovered quickly to dive straight to the crux of their earlier discussions.

"Well, ah, we know from the Chambers case Daniels is not a sloppy killer. He's clever enough to cover his tracks at the crime scenes and he threw us of his trail pretty successfully with his Petrucci ruse. So he thinks he's smarter than us. We also know from his note he believes we might be on to him because Dawes squealed...he obviously has no idea it was the other way round; Ryan spotted Daniels on the traffic cam footage and it was linking Daniels to Chambers' home which lead to Dawes which lead to his arrest."

"So Daniels isn't as smart as he thinks he is," Gates interrupted. "Interesting I'm sure but not unusual in murderers. How is that useful to us in catching him?" She demanded.

"Because arrogant, over-confident people make mistakes," Rick stated. "Daniels made a mistake on the Chambers case by letting his temper get the better of him and revealing his face to the traffic cam...which up until then he'd been smart enough to avoid. He's also already made at least two, possibly three, mistakes with the Hicks murder..."

"Which are?" Gates asked.

"Number one," Rick said, holding up his hand with one finger raised. "He left the note. Not only does that note identify him but it hints at knowledge on the Chambers case which only her killer would have known. Of course, that's only circumstantial at present, somebody else could theoretically have penned the note to throw us off the scent, but if we are able to get Daniels for Hicks' murder then the note means he will most likely go down for two murders rather than one."

"Two," Rick continued, raising a second finger. "Why leave the note in the first place? Up until now we've been working on the assumption Daniels had left the city and much as we might hate to admit it he would probably have got away with Chambers' murder. It _kind_ of makes sense he might hang around the city for a $5m pay-off but after killing Hicks why threaten Beckett? If he really was smart he'd kill Hicks and do a runner, pissed off no doubt at missing out on his big pay day but by the time we put two and two together, if we ever did, he could have been long gone. No, if Daniels did indeed write that note, which I'm sure he did, then it can mean only one thing: he's _staying_ in the city for some reason. We don't know what that reason might be as yet but it must be a fairly powerful one to keep him here with two murders hanging over his head. The fact he's almost certainly still in New York gives us a place to start and it tells us if we can put all the pieces together we stand a good chance of being able to track him down."

"Hmmm, a little speculative but I can't fault your reasoning," Gates admitted with what Kate believed was a touch of grudging respect. "You said he may have made a third mistake...?"

"Ah yes, his third mistake and probably his worst yet. He made the mistake of threatening Beckett and I know for a fact the only thing that has achieved is to increase her determination to find him and make him pay for what he's done," Rick finished with a nod in her direction. Kate winced slightly but didn't correct him...if she ignored his storytellers' flair for the dramatic his point was not inaccurate. She _was_ more determined than ever to find Daniels now, find him and put him behind bars where he belonged.

"Not to mention the fact his second victim is known to me!" Gates added. "Jim may not have been perfect but he was a decent man and he didn't deserve to end up like that. Right, well it seems like you've made a decent start, keep going and keep me appraised. If you need anything done on a hurry come to me and I'll see what strings I can pull to get it done...I want this guy caught and off my streets before he can even so much as blink!"

* * *

The next several hours were spent taking in copious amounts of both information and coffee: information about Hicks and his life leading up to his murder; and caffeine to keep then alert and functioning. Kate knew Rick in particular was starting to struggle with the latter. They'd been up fairly late last night (how that now seemed like a lifetime ago!) and even after all his time by her side at the precinct Rick still hadn't quite mastered some of the odd hours they ended up working. Not that she wasn't tired herself, she would kill for an hour's sleep right now, but this had been her whole life for a lot longer than it had for Rick and she'd learnt how to deal with her fatigue a long time ago...to a point at least.

Kate berated herself - letting her mind wander as it had just then was a sign of her own tiredness. She should be concentrating on their case and not worrying about her or her partner's lack of sleep! She refocused her eyes on the report in front of her, trying to turn the CSU tech speak into something useful. Why the tech's reports had to be so complicated and unintelligible she'd never know. Why they just couldn't state at the beginning of the report they'd found nothing of use rather than go into extraordinary detail about this or that finding only to eventually conclude it meant nothing. On a normal day it was enough to make her grind her teeth in frustration; on a day like today, with Gates breathing down her neck every few minutes (or so it seemed) and with next to no sleep the reports made her want to scream in frustration.

"Urgh...!" She eventually exclaimed, dropping the report on to her desk in front of her, causing Rick to look up and blink tiredly a few times at her.

"Nothing useful I take it?" He asked, his voice lacking its normal energy.

"No!" She exclaimed. "Ten pages filled with nonsense when they should just have said right up front: 'we found nothing useful'."

"Well, I suppose they have to be thorough," Rick said with a shrug, earning a look of disgust from her. "Sorry," he said, passing one hand wearily across his face.

"You look exhausted," Kate said quietly, leaning in slightly so that no one else could hear her. "Why don't you go home for a bit? Catch up on some sleep. I'll call you if anything interesting happens."

"I've had the same amount of sleep as you have," Rick pointed out, sitting up straighter in his chair.

"But I've had years more practice in dealing with it," Kate countered. "Rick, you don't need to prove anything to anyone by continuing 'til you drop..."

"I'm fine Kate, really I am," Rick reiterated.

"Ok, fine," Kate said after a couple of moments, not believing him for a second. "We'll take a trip to the OCME to see if Lanie's got anything for us then we'll _both_ call it a day."

"Do you think Gates will let us have a break?" Rick asked, in a semi-joking fashion.

"I won't give her a choice," Kate said firmly. "Wait here," she added before standing and striding over to the Captain's office. She knocked once and entered without waiting for a reply. Gates looked up at her from behind her desk and Kate could immediately see Rick wasn't the only one who looked tired...and if she could see the exhaustion on her Captain's face she knew it must show on her own as well.

"Beckett, do you have something on Daniels?" Gates asked, taking her glasses off.

"No sir, nothing new. Castle and I are going to head down to the morgue to see if Dr Parish has got anything for us."

"Have you heard from the OCME?"

"No sir, I haven't heard from them. But I know how long these things take and even if they're not ready to officially release anything to us yet I'm sure they'll have some unofficial results by now and frankly we could do with something useful from them."

"OK, fine. Well let me know what you find out," Gates said, putting on her glasses in obvious dismissal.

"Sir," Kate said. "I'm also going to send my team home to get some rest. We've all been up for," she glanced at her watch, "18 hours straight and we need a break..."

"As have I detective," Gates interrupted, a dangerous edge to her voice.

"Yes sir I know and frankly it shows. I know you want Daniels caught, believe me I do as well, but none of us are likely to spot anything when everyone is simply struggling to keep their eyes open."

"Time is against us, you know that," Gates replied. "The more time that passes from Jim's murder the less chance we have of finding his killer!"

"I know," Kate said. "But I think Castle is right on this one. I think Daniels is still in the city and he isn't going anywhere. Believe me, I want him tracked down and caught as much as you do and I know time is of the essence. But my team are only human and they need some rest if they are going to be capable of putting the vital clues together to give us the lead we need. They need some fresh ideas and that can only come from some rest."

"Beckett..." Gates began to protest before wearily passing a hand over her eyes. "You are right of course," she reluctantly admitted. "Tell your team to go home. But I want them all back here first thing tomorrow, understood?"

"Yes sir," Kate replied. She turned and walked over to the office door but paused before exiting. "Sir, you should go home and sleep too," she said before opening the door and walking out. She walked over to where Ryan and Esposito were hunched over some reports, their desks buried under mounds of paper and littered with coffee mugs. They both looked up as she approached and by the tired looks on their faces Kate knew she had made the right choice.

"Ryan, Espo, finish up what you're doing then go home and get some sleep."

"What...? Really?" Esposito replied in surprise.

"Yes really," Kate said. "Castle and I are going to see Lanie then we're off home as well. Gates has agreed so finish up, pack up and go home!"

"Yes ma'am," Ryan replied, a look of relief passing over his face.

"Don't call me that!" Kate warned.

"Sorry...Sir..." Ryan ventured with a grin.

"Careful Ryan," she said. "There are still dozens of more reports to go through and I could always volunteer you to stay to go through them..."

"Ah...no Beckett, that's fine," Ryan said hurriedly.

"Better," Kate replied. "Now go home to Jenny and get some sleep before I change my mind."

* * *

When they got to the OCME's office they found Lanie in her lab as usual. Just as Kate had suspected her friend was not finished with her work but she had at least completed Hicks' autopsy so had some preliminary findings for them.

"Much like with the Chambers case the bullet broke up after punching through his skull...that's why it didn't create an exit wound." Lanie explained, indicating the cleaned up entry wound on Hicks head.

"So I guess there's little chance of matching the bullet from Hicks to those in the Chambers' case?" Kate asked glumly.

"Not directly no," Lanie confirmed. "But perhaps indirectly," she added. "The bullets from the Chambers case were 9mm's and whilst we'll need the lab to confirm it from what I saw when I removed the pieces so is the bullet from Hicks."

"There are literally thousands of 9mm's in this city Lanie," Rick complained. "I don't see how having the same calibre bullets in both cases helps us all that much."

"Well, perhaps if you let me finish writer boy you might find out," Lanie said sweetly, making Kate laugh at the chastened look on Rick's face. "As I was saying," Lanie continued, returning her attention to Kate. "All three bullets are 9mm's but what is more interesting is their lack of penetration and how they shattered on impact. 9mm's are small calibre but even so they would normally punch much deeper into a body and not disintegrate so easily. In _both_ cases none of the bullets were through and throughs and they all exhibited similar, abnormal, disintegration."

"So you think if we can find these...weak...bullets and tie them to someone..." Kate said thoughtfully.

"...then you'll have a very convincing argument that person is your killer. It's not as strong as a good solid ballistics match but I'll be willing to bet those bullets are custom made to shatter on impact and will therefore be quite rare," Lanie finished.

"Hah!" Rick exclaimed then turned towards Lanie as they both stared at him after his sudden outburst. "With your permission to speak Dr Parish?" He asked with a cheeky grin.

"Just spit it out Rick!" Kate said irritably, not noticing her use of his first name in front of Lanie, or the glance of surprise the M.E. gave her.

"Of course, my dear detective," Rick replied with a small bow in her direction. "I think the good Doctor has just uncovered another of Daniels mistakes," he said.

"Mistakes?" Lanie queried.

"Castle has a theory our killer thinks he's cleverer than us and is therefore overconfident and prone to mistakes," Kate supplied. "For once I actually agree with him." She turned her attention back to Rick. "Well?" She asked.

"It's simple," Rick said with a knowing grin. "I think our 'assassin' thinks he's being smart by using bullets which shatter on impact, leaving little or no ballistic evidence which can be traced back to his gun. But our not as bright as he thinks he is killer neglected to consider the very uniqueness of how his bullets shatter on impact is as much a signature as any ballistic report! He thinks he's being smart but once again he's leaving clues and evidence which will eventually lead to his downfall!" Rick finished with aplomb - he sometimes really did display some of his mother's flair for the dramatic when he was excited.

Lanie looked over at Kate and shrugged. "I would not have put it like that but writer boy may be right. I've not seen bullets react before in the way these seem to. It is not as definitive as a ballistic match but as I said before Castle got all excited, it could be enough to provide a very convincing argument... but only _if_ you can tie the bullets to your killer."

"We'll do our best," Kate said. "Do you have anything else for us at this point?"

"No. I didn't find anything on the body which I'm confident came from your killer...which would be consistent with the Chambers case. Your man may by over-confident but he isn't stupid. He's careful enough to cover his tracks so he won't be easy to find," Lanie warned.

"Easy, hard, either way we'll find him either way," Kate said determinedly. "Right, well if there's nothing else at the moment we'll leave you in peace," she added, making to head towards the door.

"One minute Kate, can I have a word...alone?" Lanie asked, with a meaningful look at Rick.

"Err...right," Rick stuttered, wilting under Lanie's stare. "I'll just...err...wait outside then...?"

"Here," Kate said throwing him the keys to her car. "I'll meet you in the car in a few minutes."

Rick caught her keys and looked between the two of them. He looked as if he was about to say something but he eventually just nodded, muttered a goodbye to Lanie and strode out of the lab. Kate waited for a few moments then poked her head out of the door to make sure he'd actually left, she wouldn't put it past him to eavesdrop, before she turned back towards Lanie.

"Well?" She asked.

"Why did you toss him your car keys?" Lanie asked.

"What?" Kate replied in puzzlement.

"Your keys? Why did you give them to writer boy?"

"So he could wait in the car," Kate said, feeling somewhat bemused by the simple question. "You know Castle, given half a chance he'd hang around outside and try to listen in. Giving him my car keys leaves him with no excuse," she explained, although completely unsure why she had too. Lanie was normally pretty quick on the uptake.

"Uh-huh," Lanie said, sounding unconvinced.

"What do you mean, 'uh-huh'?" Kate asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that in all the time I've known you I've never seen you give your car keys to anyone..."

"What? Of course I have..." Kate interrupted.

"No, believe me you haven't," Lanie replied with a smile. "I can see living with writer boy is changing you already."

"I am not living with Castle!" Kate objected. "I'm simply staying in his spare room for a few days."

"Because of Meredith..." Lanie supplied.

"Yes, because of Meredith," Kate agreed.

"Hmmm," Lanie said, still sounding unconvinced. "Talking of Castle's ex, I understand she finally put in an appearance the other day..."

"How do you know...," Kate began before answering her own question. "Alexis."

"Yes. Alexis told me her mother had turned up at last. From what I hear she let herself in with a copy of Alexis' key...?"

Kate simply nodded, unsure where Lanie was going with this.

"I...ah...also understand that Meredith kissed Castle?"

"Err, yeah. Yeah she did," Kate reluctantly agreed.

"And how did that make you feel?" Lanie asked.

"Make me feel?" Kate replied with a false laugh. "What are you, my therapist or something?"

"I'm your friend and as much as you won't admit it to yourself I know you have feelings for writer boy..."

"Lanie..." Kate said, allowing a dangerous edge to creep into her voice. Although things between her and Rick had moved on significantly since Meredith's visit Kate hadn't been lying when she'd told him she wanted some time to get used to the idea of them being more than just partners before sharing it with anyone, especially Lanie. She loved her friend dearly but she had a good idea how she would react to the news of how their...relationship...had changed and she wasn't quite prepared to deal with that just yet.

"C'mon Kate you have to face this," Lanie said, laying one hand compassionately on her arm. "I know seeing his ex-wife kissing him like that must have affected you."

"Lanie, I'm fine. I was there when it happened and it was very much a case of Meredith kissing Rick and not the other way round. I promise you, I have no problem with it. If it even mattered to me at all, which it doesn't."

"Hmmm...that's the second time you've done that today," Lanie said.

"Done what?"

"Called Castle 'Rick'. You _never_ use his first name..."

"Ah..." Kate mumbled. She'd been utterly unaware she'd used Rick's given name instead of her customary 'Castle' and she had no idea she'd done it twice in the brief time they'd been at the morgue. She really must be tired, letting such simple mistakes escape her. "...Well," she continued. "It doesn't mean anything. Castle simply asked me to use his first name whilst I was staying at his loft and I guess I've started to get used to it, that's all."

Lanie looked at her for a long moment and Kate tried to let honesty and sincerity shine out of her. She knew her friend had an uncanny knack of reading her innermost thoughts sometimes, worse even than Rick, but she hoped and prayed this wasn't one of those times.

"Ok-ay," Lanie eventually said. "Are you still going to stay at Castle's loft? Now that Meredith has come and gone?"

She knew she had to be careful about how she answered this one. It was arguable that her presence at Rick's loft was no longer required but she really didn't want to be anywhere else right now and that had absolutely nothing to do with Rick's ex-wife and everything to do with her own feelings, her need really, to be close to Rick right now. The very thought of leaving the loft behind at the moment to return to her empty apartment...it was almost unthinkable!

"As far as we know," she said carefully. "Meredith's still in town and may well put in another appearance so I'm staying where I am...for a few more days at least."

"Hmmm," Lanie replied. "Well, I guess that means something. And there's still time for you to wake up and get it on with writer boy!"

"Lanie!" Kate protested. "I told you, I'm not staying there for that!"

"Yeah, whatever," Lanie replied with a smile. "But you promise I'll be the first to know when you finally get it together?"

"Fine, if it will make you happy," Kate replied. "But you might have a long wait!"

"I can be patient," Lanie said with a shrug.

"That'll be a first," Kate replied grumpily. "Now, you said you wanted to talk to me alone about something?"

"Oh, I just did," Lanie said with a smile.

"_This_ is what you wanted to talk about? I thought it was something important!"

"It is," Lanie insisted. "You and writer boy getting together is very important to me..."

"Funny, you'd think it would be important to us," Kate grumbled.

"Isn't it?" Lanie asked with a grin.

"I told you, you'll be the first to know if it is," Kate replied. It was probably true after all. Lanie would almost certainly be the first person she talked too about the change in her relationship with Rick...when she was ready to. Kate pushed herself away from the counter she was leaning against and stretched her aching back. God, she was tired, or just getting older, or both!

"Well, if we've finished with your fantasies about my love life I intend on going home and catching up on some much needed sleep."

"I'm only looking out for you, you know that," Lanie said quietly.

"Yeah I know," Kate replied. "And it means a lot to me Lanie, it really does." She said. She wandered off towards the door but stopped as she remembered something. "Oh, talking about love lives, when you finish up here why don't you go find Espo and tuck him up in bed for the night..."

"What!" Lanie exclaimed, in surprise, her skin darkening with a blush. Lanie was _very_ free with her opinions about her and Rick but it seemed she still wasn't quite prepared for Kate to get involved in her relationship with Esposito.

"Espo's had a hard day and I would take it as a special favour if you could make sure he has a good night's sleep and is fully rested and ready for tomorrow. Would you do that for me?"

"For you?" Lanie said thoughtfully. "Well, maybe. But just because you asked and because you're my friend, that's all" she added.

"Of course," Kate said, waving a goodbye as she exited Lanie's lab and headed back to her car.

* * *

When Kate had made her way out of the OCME building and to her car she could see Rick sitting in the passenger seat, his head resting against window and his eyes closed. Whilst her conversation with Lanie hadn't been long it seemed it had been long enough for Rick to have succumbed to his exhaustion. Fortunately he'd not locked the doors behind him so Kate was able to open her driver's side door and slide into the familiar seat. The slight movement this generated was enough to jolt Rick awake and his eyes sprang open as she settled down.

"Did you have a nice chat with the good doctor?" He asked as he handed her keys over to her.

"Yes," Kate said simply, knowing giving him no information on what they'd discussed would drive him wild with curiosity. "Did you have a good sleep?" she asked as she started the car and pulled out into the traffic.

"I was not asleep!" Rick protested immediately, a protest which would have been much more effective if he hadn't spoilt it by yawning through the last couple of words. "Ok, ok, I might have dozed off for a moment...it's been a long day."

"Now that I can agree with," Kate said, stifling a yawn of her own. "I'm really, really looking forward to going to bed when we get back," she added.

Rick grinned a little and Kate momentarily closed her eyes as her brain finally caught up with what she'd just said. "Not like that!" She added, taking a corner perhaps a little faster than necessary so that Rick, caught out by her sudden move, was pushed back against his door.

"I didn't say a word Kate," Rick protested, contrived innocence shining from his face as he righted himself. "Anyway, much as such thoughts intrigue and entice me I really, really need to get some decent sleep myself if I'm going to be fit to face Gates in the morning," he yawned again. "I don't know how...how you guys keep going," he added.

"Practice," Kate replied. "Practice and a lot of coffee!"

The rest of their short trip passed in silence as they both contemplated the rest they would soon be getting. Kate knew she was tired as she was ridiculously grateful to see Rick's apartment door when they finally stepped out of his elevator. Rick let them in and unceremoniously dropped his jacket over the back of a chair whilst Kate struggled to remove her boots. She eventually freed herself from the dratted things and drifted further into the loft. Rick had made his way into his kitchen and was pouring some water into two glasses, one of which he held out to her.

"Thanks," she said gratefully, sipping the cool water with pleasure.

"You're welcome," Rick said. He looked around for a moment then reached out to snag a note off the fridge, which he quickly read. "Alexis is round one of her friends," he told her by way of an explanation. He flipped the note over and pulled an ever present pen from his pocket and jotted down a quick note of his own. "Just to let her know we're back and we've gone to bed," he explained as he placed the note under the fridge magnet in what was obviously a well used means of communication between father and daughter.

"You didn't say that!" Kate said in surprise.

"Say what?" Rick asked, looking perplexed.

"That we'd gone to bed...together," she said, lowering her voice even though she now knew they were alone.

"What? No of course not," Rick replied with a dismissive laugh. "I may be exhausted but I haven't lost all my wits just yet," he said.

"But you admit to losing some of them then?" Kate asked.

"No, not at all," Rick replied before another yawn took hold of him. "Ok, we'll maybe a few," he admitted. "I'm going to hit the hay right now. Um...," Rick said and shuffled from one foot to another. "...it's your choice Kate but you're welcome to join me."

"Rick, I don't think that's a good idea. We agreed in the car we both have to get some decent sleep before tomorrow...," Kate began although she found herself to be surprisingly reluctant.

"Not like that," Rick said hurriedly. "I mean, not that I wouldn't like that but...," he stopped to take a steadying breath. "I just meant I would not object if you wanted to sleep with me. Just sleep, nothing else," he emphasised again.

"That's...that's very sweet Rick," Kate said and indeed she could almost feel her heart melting at his simple offer. "But I don't think it's a good idea...Alexis will come home at some point and I really don't want to have to disturb my sleep by getting up early to return to my own room."

"You don't have to you know," Rick said quietly, almost tentatively. He reached over the counter and took one of her hands in his. "Alexis knows how I feel about you and has urged me more than once to tell you. She even told me she'd jumped on the idea of you staying here in the hope something would happen between us."

"She said that?" Kate exclaimed.

"Yes," Rick confirmed. "And after last night...Kate, I really wouldn't be surprised if she's already put two and two together. We weren't all that good at covering up and my daughter is very bright and astute, even if I do say so myself. I really don't think she'd be all that surprised to see you coming from my room and I know she won't be upset at the prospect of you and I...well...you know."

"Rick...," Kate said after a few seconds. "Even if all of that is true I don't think the best way for her to find out is for me to saunter out of your room tomorrow morning. I really wouldn't want to put her in such an awkward position, whether she's happy with the idea or not."

Rick just looked at her for a few seconds then smiled and leaned over to kiss her. "Thank you," he said after they broke apart.

"For what?"

"For thinking of my daughter like that, you really are the most amazing woman."

"Castle," Kate muttered in embarrassment, unconsciously slipping back into years of using his surname.

"I mean it Kate. Besides, you don't expect me to have fallen in love with an ordinary woman now do you?"

"You are an egotistical jerk," Kate stated, although her smile conveyed her amusement at his posturing.

"It comes with the territory of being the world's best writer," Rick replied with a grand gesture. She cocked an eyebrow at him and he smiled. "Ok, how about the world's best crime fiction writer?"

"I don't know...Patterson's pretty good..." Kate replied, trying to contain her laughter at his over the top claims.

"But he's not here...doing this," Rick replied, leaning over to kiss her again, this time in a way which very nearly made her forget her principles and drag him off to his room right now.

"No," she said, somewhat breathlessly when they eventually broke apart. "And I for one am quite happy kissing just one famous author...for now."

"Humph," Rick grumbled in reply but she could tell he was no more serious than she was. "Well, if you're going to be like that I am going to bed, all alone, to sulk about how Patterson always ends up with all the best girls!" he complained.

That finally did it, Kate couldn't contain her laughter any more as she burst out laughing at the image of James Patterson, whom she'd briefly met once and who was a nice, normal kind of guy, surrounded by a bevy of beautiful women.

"Oh come here," she said after she'd regained control of her laughter. She pulled him closer and kissed him, letting her lips tell him he was the one for her, all other famous authors be damned. She let the kiss go on for as long as she could stand it then forced herself to pull away.

"Rick, we really have to stop there..." she reluctantly said.

Rick took a deep breath then sighed deeply. "You're right, of course." He said but he didn't sound overly any enthralled with the idea then she did. Rick leaned forward and kissed her again, this time just an almost chaste touching of his lips to her cheek.

"Good night, detective. I will see you in the morning."

"Yes, you will," Kate replied quietly, locking her eyes with his.

Rick took that one last long look then turned away, picked up his glass and headed off in the direction of his room. "Sleep well, Kate," he said over his shoulder as he disappeared around the corner.

"You too," Kate called just before his bedroom door closed. Kate stood there for a while, fighting with herself to not give in to her desire to join him in his room. She eventually grabbed her glass, heedlessly slopping a fair amount of water out of it on to the counter, and forced herself up the stairs and in to her room, trying very hard not to think about the man downstairs as she prepared for bed, lest her resolve crack.


End file.
